Kissinger suffers heart attack

He has worked as a consultant since leaving government

Former US Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize winner Henry Kissinger has suffered a "limited" heart attack but is doing well, according to hospital officials.

Mr Kissinger, 77, who served as Secretary of State under Richard Nixon and his successor Gerald Ford, was admitted to the New York Presbyterian Hospital on Wednesday.

"He is doing well and is expected to be in the hospital for a few days," said hospital administrator Abby Jacobsen.

As secretary of state, German-born Mr Kissinger shaped policies behind major world events of the 1970s, including the Vietnam peace agreement, the reopening of US-Chinese relations, growing contact between Israel and Arab countries and US-Soviet arms control talks.

Bypass in 1982

Mr Kissinger, who underwent bypass surgery in 1982, shared the Nobel Peace Prize with North Vietnam's Le Duc Tho for his work on the Paris peace accords in 1973.

He has since worked as a consultant and written his memoirs and several books and newspaper articles.

Earlier this week, Mr Kissinger joined 10 other former high-level US officials in criticising Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore for what they said was a disturbing agreement with Russia permitting the sale of highly threatening military equipment to Iran.