BAGHDAD: President Jalal Talabani, a former Kurdish rebel who became a major player in Iraqi politics and worked to reconcile its feuding leaders, was in hospital yesterday after what state television said was a stroke.
“Due to fatigue and tiredness, (Talabani) had a health emergency and was transported... to the hospital in Baghdad” on Monday night, a statement posted on the president’s official website said.
A later statement said that “bodily functions are normal and the health condition of his excellency the president is stable.” It said the emergency was due to hardening of his arteries.
State television reported that Talabani had suffered a stroke.
Talabani’s chief of staff, Nasser Al Ani, told a news conference yesterday that the president was in intensive care, but was in stable condition.
Top Iraqi officials including Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki, Vice President Khudayr Al Khuzaie, Deputy Prime Ministry Hussein Al Shahristani and Deputy Prime Minister Saleh Al Mutlak visited Talabani in the hospital yesterday, the presidency’s website said.
Talabani has struggled with a series of health problems in recent years. He underwent successful heart surgery in the United States in August 2008. The previous year, he was evacuated to neighbouring Jordan for treatment for dehydration and exhaustion.
Talabani has also travelled to the United States and to Europe for treatment for a variety of ailments.
Over the past year, he has repeatedly sought to convene a national conference aimed at bridging sharp political differences in the country, and has worked to reduce tensions among Iraqi leaders.
And since becoming president in 2005, he has won praise for attempting to bridge divisions between Sunni and Shiite, and Arab and Kurdish factions.
A married father of two, he has dominated Iraqi Kurdish political life for decades, along with his long-time rival, Kurdistan regional president Massud Barzani, and his family.
Reuters
