Ethiopia PM Meles in 'critical' state

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was in a Brussels hospital in a "critical" state Wednesday, several diplomatic sources told AFP, but the Ethiopian government denied he was unwell. "He is in a critical state, his life is in danger," said a diplomat who asked not to be named. In Addis Ababa, however, government spokesman Bereket Simon denied reports that the 57-year-old premier was ill. "He is not in a critical state. He is in good condition," the spokesman told AFP. In Brussels, the Ethiopian embassy refused comment. Questions were raised about Meles' health when he missed a two-day African Union summit Sunday and Monday. Diplomats in Brussels said he had been undergoing regular treatment on a private basis at one of the city's major hospitals and had been in hospital for some days.