by Dan Alexe Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades was hospitalized in Brussels on Thursday and will be unable to attend the two-day European Union summit. Anastasiades flew to Brussels Wednesday night stating that he would ask the European Council to denounce Turkish actions which Cyprus says violate its sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone. Four Turkish navy ships are patrolling in an area south of Cyprus where an exploratory drill for natural gas is being conducted by the Italian-South Korean ENI-Kogas consortium. A Turkish exploration ship is in the process of collecting seismic data in the same general area. The government spokesman said in a written statement that Anastasiades, 68, was admitted to hospital on Thursday morning after suffering a prolonged nosebleed. An earlier report carried by Cyprus' state radio said the president was diagnosed with a high blood pressure problem and was advised by doctors to abstain from work for two days. "The president was given the appropriate treatment and was advised to remain in bed for the next 48 hours to avoid recurrence of the symptoms," the spokesman said. The president will be represented at the EU summit by Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who also visited him at his hotel room. The spokesman said Samaras will set out Cyprus' complaints against Turkey, which controlled the northern part of the eastern Mediterranean island in 1974 in response to a coup by officers of the military junta then ruling Greece. Anastasiades earlier contacted European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European People's Party President Joseph Daul telling them about his health condition and informing them that written statements on the Turkish actions would be handed to them.
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