Mubarak cancels Washington trip following grandson's death
White House confirms Egyptian president has pulled out of scheduled visit to US, Obama in turn will extend duration of his trip to Cairo in early June
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has canceled his planned visit to Washington next week following the death of his 13-year-old grandson, the White House confirmed on Wednesday.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that US President Barack Obama and Mubarak will instead meet next month when the US president visits Egypt. Gibbs offered condolences to the Mubarak family on Obama's behalf and that of the president's family.
Mubarak's grandson, Mohammed Mubarak, died Monday in a Paris hospital after his health suddenly deteriorated, apparently due to food poisoning.
The London-based daily 'Al-Quds Al-Arabi' reported earlier this week that the Egyptian president would likely cancel the trip, saying the Egyptian president was greatly affected by the death of his eldest
grandchild.
The paper quoted Egyptian sources as saying Mubarak may send Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman and Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit in his stead to Washington.
Mubarak and Obama are expected to meet in Cairo on June 4th. The US president plans to deliver a historic speech from the Muslim country in which he will outline his new peace initiative.
