Ailing Iraqi president needs two months to recuperate: Kurdish official

Chairman of the Central Council of the Kurdish National Union Party says Iraqi President Jalal Talabani needs two months to convalesce after a stroke he suffered earlier in December.

Adil Murad told the Aswat al-Iraq news agency on Tuesday that the ailing 79-year-old president needs to stay away from political work for two months to recover.

Talabani left Baghdad for Berlin on December 20. The decision to move the Iraqi president came after a medical team from Germany recommended he be taken abroad for treatment.

He was rushed to a Baghdad hospital late on December 17 because of what was described as a medical emergency. Several Iraqi officials have said Talabani had a stroke.

Questions remain about the graveness of Talabani’s illness. Hospital officials and his office have released few details to the public, though they say he is showing signs of improvement.

The Iraqi statesman has undergone several medical procedures in recent years, including heart surgery in 2008 and knee replacement surgery this year. He has previously received treatment in Germany.