Greek Premier Begins Dialysis

A week after being hospitalized for pneumonia, Premier Andreas Papandreou experienced breathing difficulties and kidney problems on Monday, his doctors said.

A medical bulletin from the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center said Papandreou began hemodialysis Monday.

“This is a bad development,” Press Minister Telemachus Hytiris said.

Earlier in the day, doctors said the 76-year-old Papandreou was showing a steady improvement. He was hospitalized last Monday, put on a respirator Tuesday, but taken off of it on Friday.