Iraq's President sick, goes to Jordan for tests

Baghdad, Feb 26: Iraq's President Jalal Talabani is ill andhas been told to travel to Jordan for tests, the president's officesaid yesterday, giving no details of his illness but saying there was nocause for concern.

''Because of his hard work in past days, President Jalal Talabanihas become ill and the doctors advised him to take some tests and nowhe is on his way to Jordan,'' a statement said.

''There is no cause for concern,'' it said.

Yesterday, Talabani met US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad in thelargely autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq and held ajoint press conference with Kurdish regional president Masoud Barzani.

Talabani, who is in his early 70s, heads the secular, socialistPatriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of two parties that dominatethe Kurdish enclave that broke away from Baghdad's control after the1991 Gulf war.

A former guerrilla leader who fought Saddam for years, Talabanicapped a life dedicated to the Kurdish cause by becoming Iraq's firstKurdish head of state.

Reuters>