Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who returned home Saturday from months of convalescence abroad, is an avuncular politician and a skilled negotiator toughened by his decades-old struggle for Kurdish independence. His current state of health is unk**wn, with journalists having been kept away from the Sulaimaniyah airport where the Iraqi leader arrived on a private aircraft after spending 18 months in Germany receiving treatment following a stroke. The 80-year-old flew into an Iraq suffering one of its worst crises in years after jihadist-led insurgents took control of swathes of the country last month, with lawmakers ill-equipped to counter the onslaught as they struggle to form a new government after April polls. It is unclear what impact the return of the former Kurdish rebel leader will have on Iraq's febrile politics, but his years of experience building bridges between the country's divided factions could help ease tensions.
07-21-2014, 11:14 AM
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani: a pragmatic negotiator
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who returned home Saturday from months of convalescence abroad, is an avuncular politician and a skilled negotiator toughened by his decades-old struggle for Kurdish independence. His current state of health is unk**wn, with journalists having been kept away from the Sulaimaniyah airport where the Iraqi leader arrived on a private aircraft after spending 18 months in Germany receiving treatment following a stroke. The 80-year-old flew into an Iraq suffering one of its worst crises in years after jihadist-led insurgents took control of swathes of the country last month, with lawmakers ill-equipped to counter the onslaught as they struggle to form a new government after April polls. It is unclear what impact the return of the former Kurdish rebel leader will have on Iraq's febrile politics, but his years of experience building bridges between the country's divided factions could help ease tensions.
العرض العادي
