Oops! Palestinian President Mixes Up Morsi, Mubarak

Mahmoud Abbas catches himself at last second
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 6, 2013 12:20 PM CST
Oops! Palestinian President Mixes Up Morsi, Mubarak
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left, walks with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi following Abbas' arrival in Cairo, Egypt, for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit, Feb. 5, 2013.   (AP Photo/Egyptian Presidency)

Awkward. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas mixed up the names of Egypt's democratically elected president and his ousted authoritarian predecessor when he tried to thank his hosts at an Islamic summit in Cairo today. Abbas intended to thank Egypt for supporting the Palestinian cause. He began by saying "President Mohamed Hosni" then stopped short and corrected himself to say "Mohamed Morsi."

Morsi remained mostly stone faced during the gaffe except for a slight movement of the mouth that hinted at disapproval. Morsi frequently mentions that he is Egypt's first freely elected leader after the 2011 uprising that ended nearly three decades of Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian rule. (More Hosni Mubarak stories.)

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