Jerusalem hotel provides vodka, cherries for Yeltsin
Agence France Presse

JERUSALEM, JANUARY 6: Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin is being provided with a selection of vodka and a specially enlarged bed in his hotel in Jerusalem on his historic pilgrimage to the holy land.

The 68-year-old Yeltsin, on his first overseas trip since his dramatic resignation last Friday, will be kipping down in the same prestigious suite at the Jerusalem Hilton as many of his VIP predecessors, among them us President Bill Clinton and Hillary.

"Yes, he's staying in the same bed. But his will be a bit bigger, we had to extend it by 20 centimetres," said the Hilton's director of operations Guy Klaiman on Wednesday.

Yeltsin and his entourage, including his wife, two daughters and two grandchildren, have booked 150 rooms, taking over almost half of the hotel in downtown West Jerusalem, Klaiman told afp.

The hotel is also making special preparations because of Yeltsin's dicey health, and will keep the temperature in his suite at a constant 18 degrees celsius.

Chronic ill-health dogged Yeltsinthroughout his second term, which began with a quintuple heart bypass and was followed by repeat bouts of pneumonia.

"We got instructions from his medical care teams not to put any sweets or chocolates in his way because he will just pick at them and it's not good for his health," Klaiman said.

The hotel is also having cherries specially flown in from London, and providing him with a special larger bathrobe.

Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.