Egypt's Moussa rules out presidency run

Thursday, December 24, 2009 CAIRO: Arab League chief and former Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa has ruled out running for president of Egypt in elections due to be held in late 2011.Moussa, who had been tipped as a possible candidate, said in an interview published in a newspaper on Wednesday it was not possible to mount a challenge."The question is, is it possible? And the answer is, the road is closed," he said.Speculation has mounted over who will succeed 81-year-old President Hosni Mubarak, who is expected to seek another term in 2011, health permitting. Mubarak's 45-year son Gamal has been tipped as a possible successor.Moussa, aged 73 and praised by many Egyptians and Arabs for criticism of both Israel and past U.S. Middle East policies, was quoted in October as not ruling out such a bid.Analysts say constitutional rules make an independent nomination almost impossible.