Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak underwent successful surgery in Germany on Saturday after handing power temporarily to his prime minister, Egyptian media said.

The official Middle East News Agency said Mubarak, 81, underwent "a successful operation on Saturday morning" to remove the gallbladder and was in intensive care where he was speaking with family members and his medical team.

"I can confirm that the operation went well," said Annette Tuffs, spokeswoman for Heidelberg University Hospital.

Delegated power

President Mubarak, who gave a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, had also delegated power to the prime minister in 2004 when he had back surgery in Germany. He showed no signs of frailty at Thursday's news conference.

Egypt's president has not said whether he will seek a sixth six-year term in the 2011 presidential election, nor has he designated a successor but many believe he will try to hand power to his politician son Gamal, 46, if he chooses not to stand again.

State media said Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif would assume the powers of the president "until his return to undertake his duties", adding that medical checks on Friday had shown chronic inflammation of Mubarak's gallbladder.

(Reuters)