Talabani in US to Lose Weight
May 20, 2007
Baghdad - Tired and battling obesity, Iraqi
President Jalal Talabani flew to the United States on Sunday for rest and help
in tackling his weight problem.
Talabani, in his early 70s, left from the
Kurdish city of Sulaimani in northeastern Iraq for a trip that could take
several weeks.
His office denied local media reports that
Talabani was suffering from any specific illness and said he was in general good
health apart from his weight.
It issued a statement quoting the president
from a news conference on May 15.
"I don't have any health problems except my
obesity and I will treat it, God willing," the statement quoted Talabani as
saying.
"I will go ... to the United States of America
to undergo general medical checks to reduce my weight."
The former Kurdish rebel leader returned to his
office in mid-March after two weeks in a Jordanian hospital, vowing that he was
with Iraqis "until the final breath".
Talabani flew to Jordan on a medically equipped
US military plane in February suffering from extreme fatigue and dehydration.
His position as president is largely
ceremonial, but he is an influential figure at home and in Washington.
On Saturday, the Washington Post newspaper
reported that Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of Iraq's biggest Shi'ite party in
parliament, was in the United States undergoing treatment for lung cancer.
