Nauru President Dies in U.S.

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, March 10, 2003

Nauru President Dies in U.S.

Nauru's President Bernard Dowiyogo, known as a pragmatic leader of the environmentally devastated South Pacific island, has died. He was 57.

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Nauru's President Bernard Dowiyogo, known as a pragmatic leader of the environmentally devastated South Pacific island, has died. He was 57.

Dowiyogo died Sunday at George Washington University Hospital in Washington D.C., U.S. of complications from an 11-hour heart operation five days earlier.

His heart condition was a byproduct of diabetes, a common ailment on Nauru, a tiny island about halfway between Australia and Hawaii.

Dowiyogo, who was in the United States on official business, will be returned to his home on a U.S. Air Force plane for a funeral service this week, said Helen Bogden, a hospital spokeswoman.

Since returning to the presidency for a sixth time in January, Dowiyogo's health had deteriorated. At one point, he needed emergency surgery from an Australian doctor visiting the island.

Nauru, the world's smallest independent republic, is about the size of Washington D.C. and is almost completely dependent on phosphate deposits, mined as fertilizer for use around the world.

Source: Agencies

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