Surgery Expected for Honecker
East German leader Erich Honecker, rumored to be suffering from cancer, will travel to Switzerland for surgery, a West German newspaper said Sunday in a report attributed to Western intelligence services.
The Welt am Sonntag paper said Honecker will travel to Switzerland immediately after celebrations Oct. 7 marking the 40th anniversary of the founding of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The newspaper gave no other details about the report but attributed it to Western intelligence sources.
Speculation that Honecker has cancer was fueled in early September when security sources in Bonn said he had undergone an unsuccessful gall bladder operation.
The 77-year-old leader resumed his duties last week after a five-week absence from office, during which he underwent surgery. East German officials rejected claims that the operation was not successful and said Honecker was in good health.
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