Yeltsin falls ill; treaty delayed

RUSSIA, BELARUS UNIFICATION

By DAVID HOFFMAN

The Washington Post

MOSCOW --- President Boris Yeltsin suddenly fell ill Thursday on the eve of a planned ceremony to sign a treaty on unification of Russia and Belarus, which was abruptly postponed.

Yeltsin, who has been in and out of hospitals more than a dozen times in the past three years, was taken to the Central Clinical Hospital with what his press secretary described as "a viral infection and acute bronchitis." He was reported to be resting Thursday night at a residence outside of Moscow, Gorky-9.

Yeltsin, 68, made a vigorous speech at the summit conference of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe in Istanbul last week but hasn't been seen publicly since then. He underwent coronary artery bypass surgery in 1996 and has suffered from respiratory illnesses every winter since then, as well as an ulcer and other complications.

The announcement late Thursday afternoon caught many by surprise because the Russian president had appeared in the Kremlin earlier in the day to preside over a meeting of the Security Council, a high- level policy body that includes defense and security officials. The war in Chechnya and the upcoming signing ceremony for the agreement with Belarus were on the agenda.

As always, reports about Yeltsin's health were far from precise. While press secretary Dmitri Yakushkin said the president was taken to the hospital, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Yeltsin "has just a sore throat."

A similar explanation was given in 1996 when Yeltsin canceled some campaign trips and suffered a heart attack.

Putin said "there is nothing serious," after speaking to Yeltsin by phone.

He said Yeltsin was "hoarse." Under the Russian Constitution, Putin would become acting president for three months should Yeltsin die or become incapacitated.

"We are not doctors," said Yeltsin's deputy chief of staff, Igor Shabdurasulov. "We cannot judge how serious the sickness is. The doctors expect it will take a week or two, but knowing the president's energetic nature, you know, I think he feels vexed that everything happened this way."

The illness, coming on the eve of the treaty signing, led to some speculation that perhaps Yeltsin was trying to dodge the event, but aides insisted he wasn't attempting to scuttle the plan. Aides said the signing ceremony would be rescheduled for December.

The treaty is the latest in a string of efforts --- so far largely symbolic --- to try and bring Russia and Belarus closer to a single state. Repeated vows to merge economic ties haven't been implemented, but the idea is popular among some nationalists and Communists.

--- The Associated Press

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