September 29, 2003	Monday	Sha’aban 2, 1424

MOSCOW, Sept 28: The acting president of Chechnya was seriously ill in hospital on Sunday, officials said, victim of an attempt to poison him a week before an election critical to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s peace plan for the region.

Anatoly Popov, who was appointed prime minister of Chechnya earlier this year, was taken to hospital on Saturday evening after officially opening a gas pipeline. Officials said his life was not in danger although doctors evacuated him to Moscow.

He served under the head of the region’s pro-Moscow local administration, Akhmad Kadyrov, and took over as acting president during the campaign for the October 5 presidential poll. Kadyrov is heavy favourite after his main rivals in the contest either withdrew or were disqualified.

“The diagnosis is poisoning by a substance of unknown origin,” the Chechen government’s press service said of Popov, who is not running in the election.

“His condition is serious, but stable. He is currently being evacuated to Moscow...The doctors say he will be ill for a couple of days, and that his life is not in danger.”

It was unclear who might have poisoned Popov and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.—Reuters