Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, 74, was admitted to a hospital in Amman, Jordan, after fatigue from an intense recent workload prompted his medical team to seek more advanced care than was available in northern Iraq.
His son Qubad Talabani dismissed circulating reports of a heart attack or stroke as groundless, saying he had spoken with his father that morning and found him in good condition. 'He was in good spirits,' Qubad told CNN.
Talabani had departed from the northern Iraqi city of Sulaimaniyah, boarding and exiting his aircraft without assistance. He was described as mobile, communicative, and able to eat normally.
The US government assisted with the transfer, providing a C-130 aircraft fitted with medical equipment for the flight to the Jordanian capital. A senior US administration official confirmed the arrangement while speaking anonymously.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in February 2007, in its own words.