Bush pulls out of morning meeting due to illness
PRESIDENT Bush became ill at the summit yesterday and pulled out of the first morning session.
The White House issued a statement saying his condition was "not serious" and that he was believed to be suffering from a stomach virus.
The news was broken by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, as he emerged alone from an hour-long bilateral meeting with his US counterpart.
"President Bush is slightly indisposed this morning and will rejoin the working meeting as soon as he can," Mr Sarkozy said.
On Thursday night Mr Bush was photographed looking relaxed and cheerful as he had a beer, presumably non-alcoholic, with Tony Blair and Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, on the balcony of their hotel in Heiligendamm. The president's only moment of discomfort appeared to involve dealing with a foaming head on the German brew.
Mr Bush is fast earning a reputation for bad luck at G8 summits. At Gleneagles in 2005, he suffered cuts and bruises when he fell off his bike during a ride in the park. He lost control when waving to policemen.
Later last night President Bush flew to Poland and met with President Lech Kaczynski for talks expected to focus on US plans to base part of a missile defence system in the country. Mr Bush joined Mr Kaczynski and his wife at the seaside presidential retreat overlooking the Baltic.
The two leaders are expected to discuss Bush's missile defence plan - a proposal that has aroused the ire of Moscow.
Before this week's G-8 summit, Mr Bush also visited the Czech Republic, another country where he hopes to base part of the missile shield.
White House counsellor Dan Bartlett said Mr Bush's talks with Mr Kaczynski would be "an important consultation."
"Don't expect to have definitive answers to a very complicated set of issues," he said. "This is going to be a continuing dialogue."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has presented Bush with a counterproposal built around an old Soviet-era radar system in Azerbaijan. Bush said he would consider it.
(©Daily Telegraph, London).
- Toby Helm
