President Bush has fallen ill in Germany while attending a summit of the leading industrialized nations. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.

George Bush in Heiligendamm

President Bush skipped the morning session of G8 leaders because he woke up with an upset stomach.

White House Counselor Dan Bartlett says the president's military doctor does not know whether it is a stomach virus or something Mr. Bush ate.

The president was dressed and ready for a meeting with French President Nicholas Sarkozy when he asked the French leader to move those talks to his hotel room.

Bartlett says they had a good discussion despite the president's sickness and talked about the situation in Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Darfur as well as the status of the Doha Round of world trade talks.

Barlett says the president has sent his regrets to summit host Angela Merkel and hopes to rejoin the G8 schedule later in the day after resting.

Bartlett joked that the president decided to skip the morning session out of an abundance caution so as not to follow in the footsteps of his father, who vomited on the Japanese prime minister in 1992.