RUSSIA: MOSCOW: PRESIDENT YELTSIN HOSPITLIZED скачать в хорошем качестве

RUSSIA: MOSCOW: PRESIDENT YELTSIN HOSPITLIZED

(30 Nov 1999) Russian/Arabic/Nat Russian President Boris Yeltsin is making plans for the coming months -- even as he remains hospitalized with suspected pneumonia. But the Russian leader's critics are calling for his resignation. They say the ailing President's mental and physical condition prevents him performing his duties as Russia's head of state. The media vigil outside of the Moscow hospital where Boris Yeltsin is undergoing treatment for suspected pneumonia continued on Tuesday. Official vehicles and ambulances left and entered the compound all day. Yeltsin, 68, fell ill last Thursday with what the Kremlin described as a viral infection and acute bronchitis. Doctors ordered him to the Central Clinical hospital for treatment on Monday after suspecting he had come down with pneumonia. Yeltsin insists he remains strong enough to fulfill his duties, even though he usually visits the Kremlin only a few times a week for few hours at a time. But his many critics say the President is unfit to govern and should step down. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) "Yeltsin has been incapable of working properly for the last two to three years. That is the main thing that worries me as chairman of security committee - that and not the fact that he is today at a hospital. His mental and physical conditions are preventing him from making the right assessments of the situation in Russia and taking the proper decisions." SUPER CAPTION: Viktor Ilyukhin, Duma Security committee chairman However, from his hospital bed, Mr Yeltsin is making plans for the new year. The ailing leader spoke by phone today with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The two discussed plans for a visit to the West Bank early next year. Arafat told reporters in Moscow that Yeltsin confirmed that he will visit holy sites in the West Bank in early January -- as part of the Orthodox celebrations of the two-thousandth anniversary of Christ's birth. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) "We have agreed that president Yeltsin will visit Palestine at the beginning of January next year and will take part in celebrations to mark the 2000th anniversary of Jesus Christ's birth." SUPER CAPTION: Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader The Interfax news agency says Yeltsin is preparing for several meetings and trips, including a visit to China next month. But people in the street seem to be growing tired of the continuing political uncertainty the president's health is causing. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) "I'm not really concerned. The sooner he goes the better. I'm sorry for him as a person that he's ill but we are all ill whilst those at the top are ill." SUPER CAPTION: Anna Alexeyevna, Voxpop Many Russians are looking forward to the Presidential elections due next year. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) "I hope that we elect a better president soon, who is going to worry about his fellow citizens. He hasn't led the country for ages, other people have been running the country for him for a long time." SUPER CAPTION: Marina, Voxpop For the moment however, the President's latest bout with ill-health does not seem to be raising immediate concerns, among the people, over who is ruling Russia. Many Muscovites already feel the handover of power took place some time ago. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) "We're so used to it by now that we don't feel anything. Maybe his health would be better if he'd given up his responsibilities earlier." SUPER CAPTION: Vladimir Alexandrovich, Voxpop Yeltsin under went quintuple bypass surgery in November 1996 and suffered a bleeding ulcer earlier this year. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...