THE SWISS Foreign Ministry yesterday extended a visa for Zaire's President, Mr Mobutu Sese Seko, on medical grounds.
A ministry spokesman, Mr Hans Ruedi Bortis, said the Swiss Foreign Minister, Mr Flavio Cotti had personally made the decision. But he declined to say for how long the visa would be extended.
The extension gives President Mobutu his third visa since he arrived in Switzerland in mid August and comes amid growing criticism from MPs and the media about the presence of a man widely regarded as leading an increasingly corrupt and brutal regime. Meanwhile Zaire, with its current refugee troubles on the eastern border is left rudderless in his absence.
Swiss medical staff and aides have been highly secretive about the prognosis for Mr Mobutu who underwent surgery for prostate cancer on August 22nd in Lausanne and has since been staying at the exclusive Beau Rivage Palace hotel bordering Lake Leman.
Earlier this week Mr Mobutu who has ruled Zaire with an iron first since 1965, instructed his government to "give absolute priority" to taking the necessary measures to "ensure the territorial integrity" of the east of the country.
Seeking to calm fears over the political void left in the chaotic country, a Mobutu spokesman said that the president was "closely following" developments in eastern Zaire, and denied reports that he would be having chemotherapy until the end of the year.
But in Zaire opponents to Mr Mobutu's autocratic regime have been spreading rumours about his deteriorating condition, supported by diplomatic reports that his health is worsening.
The president still regularly leaves his expensive hotel for trips to the hospital; but his visits to restaurants have become far less frequent in recent weeks and hotel staff say that he rarely makes use of the dining room.
According to unconfirmed reports, Mr Mobutu may choose to head for his villa in southern France.