Health scare is caused by “extreme fatigue” and “dehydration."

Baghdad (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The life of Iraq’s 74-year-old President, Jalal Talabani, is not in danger, said a press release issued by his office after he was taken to a hospital in Jordan.

The statement explained that “the first results showed his condition is stable and there's no reason to worry.” As for causes, it noted that “his Excellency has suffered from extreme fatigue which led to the loss of liquids from his body, causing fatigue and dehydration.”

On Saturday Jalal Talabani took part in conference in Suleimaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, where he felt ill. Rushed to a local hospital he was then taken to Jordan on a US plane.

Qubad Talabani, the president’s son, told CNN that his father was now well and that his spirits were high. He added that upon his arrival in Jordan, the president stepped off the plane on his own.

Elected president of Iraq in April 2005, Jalal Talabani is a prominent member of the post-Saddam government. He is the first Kurd to occupy the post of president in the history of modern Iraq. He was re-elected to a four-year mandate in April 2006.

A moderate, Talabani was personally opposed to the execution of Saddam and acts continually to avoid the further escalation in confessional violence in the country.

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• jordan
• jalal
• talabani
• hospital
• illness