MENA House: "Official Statements" on Mubarak's Health; 50 Years of Egyptian TV

It is official: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is "fine" and "very active".

At a press conference in Orba Palace, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Soliman Awad addressed foreign reports on Mubarak's health. The conference was arranged after The Washington Times published that sources from "international intelligence agencies" claiming that President Hosni Mubarak had less than one year to live. [Editor's Note: EA had published the reports about Mubarak's cancer, claimed to be terminal, two weeks ago.]

Awad said, "As a diplomat, I am used to dealing with rumours" and that only God knows when the life of an individual will end. He went on further to say that "

Official statements are rarely made regarding President Mubarak's health. Even when the news filtered out through London-based Arabic newspapers and EA and then was splashed by The Washington Times, Egyptian domestic news and evening discussion programmes did not touch the subject. Only when the official statement was made, did presenter Mona el Shazly reassure the Egyptian public that the President's health is fine.

The "official statement" also followed claims that, in light of the reports on Mubarak's poor health, Israeli Minister Arieh Eldad advised Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu not to rush negotiations with the Egyptian President as brokering a deal with Egypt in the circumstances would be a mistake.

So the question is begged: was the official statement made to establish the "truth of the situation" or to dispel inaccurate rumours? Was this for economic stability? After all, in summer 2008, news raced around the streets of Egypt that President Mubarak had died.  The response: shares were sold for pennies and there was widespread panic. 

On a lighter side note, Happy 50th Anniversary to Egyptian TV --- on 21 July 1960, at exactly 7 p.m., Cairo went on-air.

Here's a short clip showing the birth of television in Egypt, with all-time greats Omar Sharif, Kamal el Shenawy, Ahmed Ramzi, Roshdi Abaza and his wife Samia Gamal.  The list goes on...