Iraqi government sources report that President Jalal Talabani has suffered a stroke.
A statement on the president’s website said his condition was “stable” and that his “bodily functions are normal.”
An earlier statement on the presidential website said that Talabani was late on December 17 after suffering what it called “a health emergency.”
The office said “a specialized medical team” was taking care of him.
The president underwent heart surgery the United States in 2008 and was treated for dehydration and exhaustion in Jordan in 2007.
Talabani founded one of the main Kurdish political parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, and became Iraq’s first non-Arab president in 2005.
The presidency is a largely ceremonial post, though it does retain some powers under the Iraqi Constitution.
(RFE/RL)
