Iraq's Talabani health "normal and stable"

BAGHDAD, Feb 26 (Reuters) Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's health is ''completely normal and stable'', his office said today, a day after he was flown to a hospital in neighbouring Jordan because of low blood pressure.

''The initial results of the medical tests showed that his condition is completely normal and stable. There is no need to worry. The vital and basic parts of his body are all in good condition,'' a statement said, adding Talabani was fully conscious and in good spirits.

Talabani was admitted to the specialist King Hussein Medical Centre in Amman yesterday after being flown from Sulaimaniya in northern Iraq. A close aide to Talabani, who is in his early 70s, yesterday denied media reports he had had a heart attack.

The statement said Talabani had ''suffered from fatigue, which led to a loss of a lot of liquids from his body''. It said he would undergo further medical tests in Amman.

A US official in Washington said yesterday Talabani had been taken to Jordan on a medically equipped US military transport plane.

Talabani's post is largely ceremonial but he is an influential figure at home and in Washington.

The former Kurdish guerrilla leader is involved in political efforts to quell sectarian rivalries in Iraq, while US troop reinforcements attempt to root out militant groups in Baghdad and avert a slide into all-out civil war.

REUTERS SHB SSC1241