Yeltsin Illness Delays CIS Summit

An ailing Boris Yeltsin Tuesday canceled all meetings this week and will rest in bed on the orders of doctors concerned about possible complications related to the Russian president's sore throat.

A summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States, planned for Thursday, has been postponed because of Yelstin's health, a source in the Ukrainian presidential administration said Tuesday. It has been rescheduled for April.

The Russian leader, who contracted a respiratory infection and lost his voice last week, had been expected to stick to an active schedule this week, aides had said.

"As usual, he was very eager to attend the (summit) meeting," Valentin Yumashev, chief of the presidential administration, was quoted as saying by the ITAR-Tass news agency. "But he has a severe cold, a bad cough and there's a danger of complications."

Yeltsin remained "partially bed-ridden" and was taking antibiotics at his suburban residence, Gorky-9, west of Moscow, the Kremlin's press service said.

The doctors urged Yeltsin to speak as little as possible to avoid further strain on his vocal chords.

Yeltsin's doctors last Friday described his ailment as "acute laryngotracheitis," or an inflammation of the larynx and trachea. Since then, there has been no word that he is suffering from any additional ailments, such as heart trouble.

Thursday's summit in Moscow was to include most or all of the 12 presidents in the Commonwealth of Independent States, a loose grouping of the former Soviet republics.

The meeting was originally planned for December, but had to be postponed because Yeltsin was suffering from a bad cold. It was rescheduled for January, and delayed again until March.

Yeltsin still plans to go ahead with a March 25-6 summit with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and French President Jacques Chirac in the central city of Yekaterinburg, Russia's Foreign Ministry said.

The 67-year-old Russian leader has suffered a string of health problems in recent years, raising questions about his ability to govern effectively.

Yeltsin had heart bypass surgery in November 1996, and two months later he came down with pneumonia. The president also was hospitalized with a bad cold for two weeks in December.

Yeltsin has resumed a busy schedule after each illness and has made clear his intention to serve out his term, which runs until the year 2000.

By GREG MYRE, Associated Press Writer. ©1998 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed