Belgian Foreign Minister Collapses
The Associated Press, Tue 14 May 2002

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel collapsed at a NATO meeting Tuesday and was rushed to the hospital on a stretcher for tests.

Michel, 54, fell to the ground during a photo shot with the other NATO foreign ministers following the first session of their two-day meeting. He briefly tried to get up before collapsing again. He never lost consciousness.

Secretary of State Colin Powell and other NATO foreign ministers rushed to his aid. With an oxygen mask covering his face, Michel was taken to Reykjavik university hospital.

``It is the first time he has had something like this,'' said a Belgian diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Michel came into the NATO meeting tired and felt so sick early Tuesday he considered skipping the opening morning session.

``He felt terrible. He didn't even want to come,'' said the diplomat. ``He felt too hot in the meeting room and it was too cold outside for him.''

Michel, who has been foreign minister since 1999, had extensively traveled over the past two weeks. He was in South Africa and Rwanda before continuing on to New York for the U.N. summit for children late last week. He arrived Reykjavik for the NATO meeting late Monday.

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