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AU chief
hospitalised in Japan: report
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 ADDIS
ABEBA(July 8,2008) -
African Union Commission chief Jean Ping was rushed to hospital Monday
in Japan where he was attending a summit with the Group of Eight powers
on the plight of the continent, according to a news report.
Jean Ping fell ill and was taken to a hospital in the city of Sapporo
on Japan's main northern island of Hokkaido, the report said citing
the official who it said declined to elaborate on Ping's condition.
Ping, a veteran diplomat from Gabon who assumed his post earlier this
year, was suffering from exhaustion but his life was not in danger,
AFP' report indicated citing diplomats attending the summit as saying.
"Mr Ping is out of danger after a minor and passing illness that
is absolutely not serious," El-Ghassim Wane, a spokesman for
the African Union, told AFP in Addis Ababa.
"As it's late in Japan, doctors preferred to take him in for
observation," the report quoted "another source" it
said was close to the AU Commission as saying.
An African diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that
Ping was suffering from exhaustion.
"For the moment, it's nothing serious but Mr. Ping needs to rest
for a few days to undergo medical checkups," the diplomat said,
the report said.
"We set up a group of people in charge of taking care of him,
and I presume that he is receiving medical treatment by now,"
a Japanese foreign ministry was quoted as saying.
Leaders from 23 nations are meeting this week at a hilltop luxury
hotel overlooking scenic Lake Toya, a location selected in part because
of its security.
Ping was taking part in a special session on Monday on Africa, in
which the continent's leaders urged rich nations to stay true to their
aid promises and help the developing world cope with soaring oil and
food prices. |
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