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30 March 2005
BRUSSELS – Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt has been forced to cut short a holiday in Italy after suffering from chest pains, it was reported on Wednesday.
Newspapers La Derniere Heure and Het Laatste Niews reported that the premier was taken to hospital in the Tuscany region when he began suffering from the pains.
He was examined by doctors there and advised to return to Belgium for further tests.
Verhofstatdt’s spokesman Didier Seeuws attempted to play down the seriousness of the prime minister’s illness.
He said Verhofstadt, “felt ill during his holiday but his condition is not a cause for concern.”
Seeuws added that the prime minister would undergo tests at the university hospital in Ghent and planned to return to work on Monday.
[Copyright Expatcia 2005]
Subject: Belgian news