February 11, 2009 5:17 PM
- Text
Iraqi President Falls Ill
(CBS/AP)
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani arrived in Jordan late Sunday for medical treatment amid conflict reports about his health. Sources in Amman and from Talabani's office in Baghdad told CBS News that the 73 year old had had a stroke, but in a televised interview his son said that Talabani suffering from fatigue or exhaustion.
The Iraqi ambassador in Jordan said for Talabani was there for a medical checkup intended to determine the reasons for his feelings of exhaustion. He also said that Talabani had not suffered a stroke or heart attack.
"The president's plane just landed in Amman and he will soon be whisked away to an Amman hospital for medical checkups," Iraqi Ambassador Saad Al-Hayyani told The Associated Press.
He said Talabani suffered from "general fatigue and exhaustion and he needs medical examination to determine what is causing that" and dismissed that Talabani had suffered a stroke or a heart attack.
Talabani, 73, flew from Sulaimaniyah, northern Iraq, to neighboring Jordan for medical treatment, his office said Sunday, adding there was "no cause for worry."
A senior Bush administration told CBS News that the U.S. helped with a medically-equipped transport to get Talabani to Jordan. The official could not clear up whether or not Talibani had a heart attack or stroke.
Talabani arrived at Amman's King Hussein Medical City in a motorcade that included police cars with their sirens wailing. Journalists were not permitted behind the main gates of the facility, making it unclear whether the Iraqi leader entered the hospital on foot or by wheelchair or stretcher.
King Hussein Medical City is a military hospital, where several Arab leaders had previously received treatment, including the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Before Talabani's arrival a doctor from he hospital said the Iraqi leader would "be admitted to the hospital's heart center."
The center was chosen, the doctor said, because it "has sophisticated and modern equipment to check his condition," explaining that admission to the particular facility does not mean Talabani has a heart condition or suffered a stroke. The doctor spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to give statements to the media.
A doctor in Sulaimaniyah, Talabani's hometown, told The Associated Press that the 73-year-old president was unconscious when an ambulance rushed him to a hospital there.
"After his condition stabilized, the doctors advised him to go to Jordan for a complete check up," he said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to release the information.
The brief statement by Talabani's office said he had fallen ill because of "continuing hard work over the past few days."
Talabani, a Kurd, appeared in public Saturday in this Kurdish city where he met with U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and Massoud Barzani, leader of the self-rule Kurdish region in northern Iraq.
In Sulaimaniyah, senior Kurdish politician Barham Saleh said Talabani was on his feet when he headed for a meeting Sunday with top aides shortly before he left for Jordan.
Saleh, a deputy prime minister, said members of Talabani's immediate family accompanied him to Amman.
An official at Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, or PUK, said the president had a long history of fainting when he is exhausted — a condition dating back to his years as a Kurdish guerrilla leader fighting Saddam Hussein's regime decades ago.
The official also spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.
The Iraqi ambassador in Jordan said for Talabani was there for a medical checkup intended to determine the reasons for his feelings of exhaustion. He also said that Talabani had not suffered a stroke or heart attack.
"The president's plane just landed in Amman and he will soon be whisked away to an Amman hospital for medical checkups," Iraqi Ambassador Saad Al-Hayyani told The Associated Press.
He said Talabani suffered from "general fatigue and exhaustion and he needs medical examination to determine what is causing that" and dismissed that Talabani had suffered a stroke or a heart attack.
Talabani, 73, flew from Sulaimaniyah, northern Iraq, to neighboring Jordan for medical treatment, his office said Sunday, adding there was "no cause for worry."
A senior Bush administration told CBS News that the U.S. helped with a medically-equipped transport to get Talabani to Jordan. The official could not clear up whether or not Talibani had a heart attack or stroke.
Talabani arrived at Amman's King Hussein Medical City in a motorcade that included police cars with their sirens wailing. Journalists were not permitted behind the main gates of the facility, making it unclear whether the Iraqi leader entered the hospital on foot or by wheelchair or stretcher.
King Hussein Medical City is a military hospital, where several Arab leaders had previously received treatment, including the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Before Talabani's arrival a doctor from he hospital said the Iraqi leader would "be admitted to the hospital's heart center."
The center was chosen, the doctor said, because it "has sophisticated and modern equipment to check his condition," explaining that admission to the particular facility does not mean Talabani has a heart condition or suffered a stroke. The doctor spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to give statements to the media.
A doctor in Sulaimaniyah, Talabani's hometown, told The Associated Press that the 73-year-old president was unconscious when an ambulance rushed him to a hospital there.
"After his condition stabilized, the doctors advised him to go to Jordan for a complete check up," he said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to release the information.
The brief statement by Talabani's office said he had fallen ill because of "continuing hard work over the past few days."
Talabani, a Kurd, appeared in public Saturday in this Kurdish city where he met with U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and Massoud Barzani, leader of the self-rule Kurdish region in northern Iraq.
In Sulaimaniyah, senior Kurdish politician Barham Saleh said Talabani was on his feet when he headed for a meeting Sunday with top aides shortly before he left for Jordan.
Saleh, a deputy prime minister, said members of Talabani's immediate family accompanied him to Amman.
An official at Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, or PUK, said the president had a long history of fainting when he is exhausted — a condition dating back to his years as a Kurdish guerrilla leader fighting Saddam Hussein's regime decades ago.
The official also spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.
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David Morgan David Morgan is a senior editor at CBSNews.com and cbssundaymorning.com.
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