Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak does not intend to go abroad for "a medical examination" amid public unrest in the Islamic country, a newspaper quoted the presidential administration as saying on Monday.
The Cairo-based Al-Shorouk independent newspaper said an official in the presidential administration denied contradictory reports about Mubarak's poor health and rumored plans to leave the country together with his family.
"Mubarak is not Ben Ali [the Tunisian president who was toppled in mid-January and had to flee to Saudi Arabia]," the presidential administration said. "If he decides to pass on his powers, he will do so in accordance with Egyptian law."
Egypt has been engulfed in violent protests against Mubarak's 30-year regime since January 25, with demonstrators demanding economic and political reforms. Some 150 people have died and another 4,000 have been injured, the Al-Jazeera TV channel said.
In an attempt to quash the protests, the authorities cut off Internet access in the country on Friday. The cutoff has disrupted business operations in various sectors of the local economy. International organizations and diplomatic services have also complained about the move.
Internet connections will most likely be restored within the next 24 hours, Western diplomatic sources in Cairo told Al-Shorouk.
CAIRO, January 31 (RIA Novosti)
