** FILE ** In this Dec. 2, 1995 file photo, Laotian President Nouhak Phoumsavanh meets with dancers and musicians after a cultural performance at the National Assembly Building in Vientiane, Laos, marking the 20th founding anniversary of the Laos People's Democratic Republic. Nouhak Phoumsavanh, a former president of Laos and a founding member of its ruling communist party, has died at age 98, the state news agency reported Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008. Nouhak died Tuesday after an illness, the KPL news agency said. It said his death would be marked by a five-day national mourning period. (AP Photo/Lois Raimondo, File)