US President George W. Bush falls ill during G8 Summit

June 8, 2007 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."

"Not sure if it's a stomach virus yet or something like that, but (he's) just not feeling well in the stomach, and guess he didn't want to follow in the footsteps of his father in Asia," added Bartlett.

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.

"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.

The illness did not change the travel plans Bush has for the day, but doctors "are still keeping an eye on him," added Bartlett, who also said that "he [Bush] feels terrible about any disruption he may have caused."

George H. W. Bush, a former President of the U.S. and the father of the current President, threw up and collapsed during a dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa at the Prime Minister's residence in 1992.