Bush falls ill during G8 Summit

United States President George W. Bush has fallen ill and has missed the morning session of the G8 Summit, but has returned to the day’s events.

“The President had a good rest this morning. He’s feeling better, not 100 percent, but he feels good enough to rejoin the meeting. He just left his suite a short while ago, so we are back on schedule,” said a spokesman for the White House, Tony Fratto.

Earlier Dan Bartlett, the White House counselor stated that Bush was dressed and ready for the meeting when he began to feel sick and that his condition is likely a “stomach virus, a light touch of food poisoning or something else” and called the situation “not serious.”

Fidelity Test
Despite being ill, Bush still taped his weekly radio address to the people of the U.S., and managed to meet with Nicolas Sarkozy, the newly elected president of France, but only on a private level and in Bush’s hotel room.

Sarkozy had graciously agreed to meet Bush in his “private quarters,” said Bartlett, adding: “The president (Bush) felt that they had a real personal rapport.” This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Sarkozy was sworn in as French president last month.

Sarkozy told reporters after the talks that Bush was “slightly indisposed this morning and will rejoin the working meeting as soon as he can.” Officials said Sarkozy and Bush had discussed the situation in Lebanon, Kosovo and Darfur.

Sarkozy has suggested that a decision on the final status of Kosovo should be postponed for six months to allow Serbian and Kosovar leaders to study alternative ideas.”I have just come out of a meeting with president Bush who is slightly unwell. He will join the working session when he can,” said Sarkozy to reporters as he was leaving the meeting with Bush.