Václav Havel has respiratory passages inflammation

Prague, Feb 8 (CTK) - Former Czech president Vaclav Havel has respiratory passages inflammation and is on antibiotics, his spokeswoman Sabina Tancevova has told CTK, adding that he has cancelled his programme for the next two or three days for the time being.

The antibiotics have been effective, but it depends on the further course of the illness how long he will be treated, Tancevova said referring to Havel's doctors.

One of the events Havel has cancelled is today's press conference on a new book by Karel Hvizdala that contains interviews with him, among others, organiser Jiri Sedlak told CTK.

Havel, 73, has often had health problems. His health has been affected by imprisonment in the 1980s and years-long chain-smoking.

In 1996 Havel underwent an operation in which doctors removed a half of one of his lungs together with a malignant tumour.