Iraqi president to go to Germany for medical treatment December 19, 2012 -- Updated 1501 GMT (2301 HKT) [File photo] Iraq's President Jalal Talabani in Istanbul on December 23, 2010. 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 (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. 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. He did not return to Iraq until March of that year. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Hamdi Alkhshali contributed to this report.