WORLD : Papandreou Gets Government Task

ATHENS — The president today asked interim Premier Andreas Papandreou, who is hospitalized with pneumonia, to try to form a new government after conservative leader Constantine Mitsotakis failed to do so.

There was no immediate comment from Papandreou, 70, who was admitted to General State Hospital on Thursday. He has until Monday to come up with a government.

A medical bulletin today said Papandreou, who led Greece for eight years until his party lost Sunday’s election, was “receiving the proper medical treatment and will remain in the hospital.” Papandreou underwent a triple heart bypass operation in London eight months ago.

Mitsotakis told President Christos Sartzetakis today he was unable to form a government in the three-day constitutional limit. He blamed the Coalition of Left and Progress, an alliance of the Communist and Greek Left parties, for the failure.