Mubarak 'fine' after speech breakdown

President Hosni Mubarak was taken ill during a nationally televised speech to parliament in Egypt today but returned later to finish his address.

The transmission was interrupted but Mubarak – the only president a generation of Egyptians has known – returned to cheers and did not refer to the problem.

After his return, he spoke for less than five minutes and then adjourned the parliament session.

Mubarak was said to have been suffering from a cold aggravated by fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

He later left parliament, driven away in a black limousine.

Before the interruption, the 75-year-old Mubarak’s had coughed and sneezed, his voice had begun to weaken and his speech sounded slightly slurred.

His voice was stronger when he returned, and he responded to shouts of support from members of parliament with smiles, waves and thanks before returning to his speech on domestic and foreign policy.

The speech appeared to have been cut short.

A state television announcer had said: “The president has suffered a health crisis” after the broadcast was briefly cut.

When the broadcast resumed, it showed members of parliament milling in the hall and Mubarak no longer at the podium. State television continued to broadcast from parliament until Mubarak returned.

The parliament speaker, Fathi Sorour, took the podium to announce: “Mr President is fine and he will be back in minutes.”

Mubarak has led Egypt since Anwar Sadat was assassinated by a Muslim extremist on October 6, 1981.