WORLD : Honecker Remains Seriously Ill
A gallbladder operation on 77-year-old East German leader Erich Honecker reportedly failed, indicating he remains seriously ill, West German security sources said today.
In West Berlin, city officials said they have learned Honecker will not be attending the Leipzig trade fair on Sunday as had been planned.
Honecker underwent a gallbladder operation two weeks ago. The East German government said on Aug. 24 he was “continuing on the road to recovery.” But the Hessicher Rundfunk radio today said the West German government has received intelligence information indicating Honecker’s condition is more serious than official East German reports suggest.
According to the sources, Honecker’s surgeons were forced to abandon the gallbladder operation “because of the condition of the tissue.”
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