http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/15/meles-zenawi-health_n_1674596.html
Meles
Zenawi, Ethiopia Prime Minister, Health Questions Raised During Absence
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/15/meles-zenawi-health_n_1674596.html?view=print&comm_ref=false>
07/15/12 01:35 PM ET [image: AP]
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Ethiopia's longtime ruler and most powerful
figure, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, is not attending an African Union
summit that opened Sunday in Ethiopia, which further fueled speculation
that he might be seriously ill.
About three dozen African heads of state and government gathered in Addis
Ababa on Sunday, but Meles did not attend the meeting – a first since he
assumed office in 1991.
Meles was expected to open the New Partnership for Africa's Development
(NEPAD) meeting on Saturday. But Senegalese President Macky Sall opened the
gathering instead, telling participants that Meles was unable to be present
due "to health conditions." Sall wished Meles "good health."
The most recent images of Meles aired by state-run Ethiopian Television
showed him noticeably thinner. Opposition websites are claiming that Meles
is being treated for a serious illness.
The government declined to comment on the matter.
Ethiopia's parliament was set to hear from Meles last week when the
country's lawmakers were scheduled to approve Ethiopia's current fiscal
budget, which began July 8, but Meles did not address parliament.
Meles in 2010 promised to step down by 2015. Hailemariam Desalegn was named
deputy prime minister. He is also the country's foreign minister.
Received on Sun Jul 15 2012 - 22:23:34 EDT
