Maher postpones his visit to Washington because of heart problems

The Middle east news agency MENA said yesterday that medical checks prevented the Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Maher from traveling to the USA to prepare for the visit to be held by the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak next week.

The Egyptian daily al-Ahram quoted Maher on Sunday as saying that he will head for Washington today "in the context of good preparations for the visit of President Mubarak" to the USA." The agency said that Maher is " making currently the normal medical checks and he will assume his work mission immediately after the end of these checks." He added it was agreed with the American side to postpone this tour "of talks" in order to be held at a date to be agreed upon after Mubark- Bush summit next Monday.

Al-Masaa' ( evening ) paper indicated, quoting a doctor at the Nile hospital in Cairo that Maher was admitted to hospital emergency on Sunday evening because of heart problems, noting that his health conditions have become stable and he will check out today.