BAGHDAD (AP) — A spokesman for Iraq's president says he's hospitalized in Baghdad in stable condition after suffering a stroke.
The development adds new uncertainty for Iraq's political future, a year after the U.S. military left.
Jalal Talabani (jahl-LAHL' tahl-ah-BAH'-nee) has only limited powers as president -- but he is respected by many Iraqis as a unifying figure who can rise above the ethnic and sectarian divides. He's been actively involved in trying to mediate an ongoing crisis between Iraq's central government and the country's Kurdish minority, from which he hails.
Soldiers assigned to the presidential guard have been deployed around Baghdad's largest medical complex, where Talabani is being treated. A spokesman says Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (NOO'-ree ahl-MAHL'-ih-kee) has visited the hospital.
An Iraqi Cabinet official said Talabani fainted yesterday, and that he remains unconscious. He had met earlier in the day with al-Maliki. And the prime minister's office said they had agreed that al-Maliki would invite a delegation from the Kurdish regional government to Baghdad to continue the talks.
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APPHOTO BAG105: FILE - In this Aug 2, 2006 file photo, Iraq's President Jalal Talabani pauses after announcing new security plans in Baghdad, Iraq. The office of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said Tuesday he has been admitted to the hospital for treatment of an unspecified health problem. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, File) (20 Dec 2010)
<<APPHOTO BAG105 (12/20/10)>>
