( CNN ) -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani will travel to Germany for medical treatment , Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman said Wednesday . Talabani is in stable condition , his office said . Talabani was rushed to a Baghdad hospital Monday night in deteriorating health because of hardening of his arteries , his office told the media . But Othman , who is close to Talabani , said earlier this week that the 79-year-old leader had suffered a stroke . `` His health condition is not very good , '' he said . Read more : Read more : Iraq 's president in stable condition , office says . The president 's office on Tuesday released a statement saying that Talabani was exhausted . `` Recently , His Excellency President Jalal Talabani spent exhaustive efforts in order to accomplish harmony and stability in the country . Due to fatigue and exhaustion , His Excellency had a health emergency , '' the office said . Talabani was elected president of Iraq in 2005 , in the nation 's first free elections in more than 50 years . This is not the first time he has dealt with serious medical issues . At times , the exact nature of his ailments has been shrouded in secrecy . In February 2007 , he fell ill and was flown to Jordan for treatment , and there were conflicting reports about what prompted his hospitalization . A hospital source told CNN at the time that doctors performed a catheterization procedure on his heart , but his family and aides denied that . Talabani 's doctor and a spokesman for the president 's office said then that he was suffering from exhaustion and lung inflammation , and underwent tests they described as precautionary . He did not return to Iraq until March of that year . Two months later , Talabani left for medical tests and to lose weight , his office said . He did not return until June . In January 2012 , he had spinal surgery in Germany . CNN 's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Hamdi Alkhshali contributed to this report .
Jalal Talabani was hospitalized earlier this week in Iraq . A Kurdish lawmaker said Talabani had a stroke . Talabani 's office said he was suffering from hardening of the arteries .