Former Russian PM was ill at conference

FORMER Russian prime minister Yegor Gaidar complained about feeling ill hours before he was rushed to hospital, it emerged yesterday.

The news came amid reports in Moscow that Dr Gaidar, 50, was poisoned. His daughter Maria was quoted as saying doctors believe this is the case.

One of the organisers of the conference at NUI Maynooth at which Dr Gaidar fell ill said yesterday the author complained of illness at lunchtime on November 24. He then abandoned a planned address to launch a new book just after 5pm.

Prof Richard Vincent Comerford, the head of the History Department at NUI Maynooth, said Dr Gaidar had arrived on campus direct from Dublin Airport at around 11pm on Thursday night.

Prof Comerford first met Dr Gaidar last Friday afternoon as the former Russian prime minister presented a paper on the first day of a two conference entitled Ireland and Russia: history, the rule of law and the changing international system.

“I first saw him before lunchtime. He was feeling unwell but didn’t describe the symptoms,” he said.

“He presented the paper after lunchtime and spoke for about 20 to 25 minutes. He was sitting down but there was nothing special about that.”

He said up to 40 people were attending the presentation, including Russians and academics from Maynooth and other universities.

“Around 5pm he came back to make a short presentation about his new book [The Death of Empire: lessons for Contemporary Russia] to the same audience. He left the room. He was obviously looking ill and some people went out with him.

“Within 15 minutes the ambulance arrived and took him to hospital.

“Various people associated with the conference were out there [at James Connolly Hospital]. Next morning he moved to the Russian Embassy.

“I understood that he arrived back safely in Moscow and that was the end of it until the stories started appearing in the media.”

Prof Comerford said Dr Gaidar arrived in Ireland with 10 or 11 other Russians from the world of academia and current affairs.

He said Dr Gaidar’s appearance had been organised by a research centre in Moscow called the Library of Foreign Literature, and by the Irish Embassy in the Russian capital.

Prof Comerford said neither he nor anyone else had been notified of any health risk.

“It would appear to me to be a case of someone who was ill and because of the current climate people are jumping to conclusions.”

Maria Gaidar was quoted as saying her father had a “simple breakfast of a fruit salad and a cup of tea” on the day he fell ill.

She said the doctors could not find any reason for his condition other than that he was poisoned with a substance they could not identify. But she said they could not make an official conclusion until they got information from doctors in Dublin.

The HSE confirmed it had “no immediate concerns” regarding radiation at Connolly Hospital.

“At present we have no official information to give cause for concern. However, we are in close contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs,” it said, adding that it was in close contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs and would take any necessary precautions.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said it would be “normal practice” for any medical records from the hospital relating to Dr Gaidar to be sent to his doctors in Moscow.

The spokesperson said the Irish Ambassador in Russia, Justin Harman, had contacted Dr Gaidar by phone immediately on his arrival in Moscow and yesterday morning to check his condition. She said Dr Gaidar made no reference to suspicions he might have had.

Last night members of the opposition asked the Government for confirmation that tests have been carried out to detect any abnormal radiation or other toxins after Dr Gaidar fell ill.

Labour TD Mary Upton said: “Sources in Dublin have been reported as saying they did not suspect anything untoward in Mr Gaidar’s illness. I want to ensure that those sources have seen test results for radioactivity and other toxins before my mind will be put at rest regarding this issue.”

She added that anyone who came into contact with Dr Gaidar in Ireland should also be called in for testing.

In the event of tests for radioactivity being conducted, the Health Service Executive and the Radiological Protection Institute of ireland would be charged with conducting them.