***BREAKING NEWS...unconfirmed reports of Jalal Talabani possibly passing away today!!!***

[TAV]

Starting to get some news, went on CNN and only found his timeline posted today at 3:28PM EST

Jalal Talabani - Fast FactsBy CNN Library

updated 3:28 PM EST, Fri January 4, 2013

(CNN) -- Here's a look at the life of the sixth Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

Personal:

Birth date: November 12, 1933

Birth place: Kelkan, Iraq

Marriage: Hero Ibrahim Ahmed

Children: Two sons, Qubad and Bafel

Education: Baghdad University, law degree, 1959

Religion: Sunni Muslim

Timeline:

1947 - At age 14, joins the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP).

1951 - Member of the KDP's Central Committee.

June 1975 - Leaves the KDP to found the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), an organization striving to promote the autonomy and independence of the Kurdish people from the rest of Iraq.

1975 - present - Secretary General of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

1976 - Is involved in armed resistance against the government of Saddam Hussein.

1998 - Talabani and rival Kurdish Democratic Party leader Massoud Barzani sign a peace agreement that provides for their joint governing of their respective areas of Kurdistan.

November 1-30, 2003 - President of Iraq's Governing Council. This position rotates monthly and nine of the twenty-five ICG members take turns filling the spot.

January 30, 2005 - One of approximately 7,700 candidates in Iraq's first free elections in over 50 years.

April 6, 2005 - Is elected president of Iraq by the new transitional national assembly, and is sworn in the next day.

April 22, 2006 - Wins a second term as president as part of an interim Iraqi government.

November 27-29, 2006 - Meets with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and announces that a security agreement between Iraq and Iran has been reached.

February 25 - March 14, 2007 - Falls ill and is flown from Iraq to Jordan for treatment, reportedly suffering from severe exhaustion.

May 20 - June 2, 2007 - Travels to the United States for unspecified medical treatments.

March 7-8, 2008 - Visits Turkey, his first visit as head of state.

November 2010 - Is re-elected president by the new Iraqi parliament.

December 1, 2011 - Marking the end of the U.S. military presence in Iraq, Talabani confers upon coalition officials, including Vice President Joe Biden, the "shield of commitment" medal.

January 19, 2012 - Has spinal surgery in Germany.

December 17, 2012 - Is rushed to a Baghdad hospital, for an unspecified medical emergency, possibly a stroke and is later taken to Germany for treatment.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/04/world/meast/jalal-talabani---fast-facts/

Political sources say Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani of the State "would be clinically dead" in the Berlin hospital where he was treated.

Hospitalized for more than fifteen days in Berlin for a stroke, the Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani , is at its worst. Reportedly, his German doctors feel it is "too ill to be able to recover" from his stroke, which occurred three weeks ago in Iraq .

Currently, Germans are just trying to stay alive , Add Kurdish sources say that even the old Kurdish leader, aged 79, was "clinically dead."

According to the Iraqi constitution, the President of the Republic - a Kurd - has only limited authority, most of the power is concentrated in the hands of the Prime Minister, namely Nouri al-Maliki , a Shiite.

A key mediator

In case of a vacancy, the Vice-President Talabani replace. One of the two vice-presidents, Khoudaïr al-Khuzai, currently holds this role, the second, the Sunni Tareq al-Hashemi, had taken refuge in Turkey after being sentenced to death in absentia to five times, including murder. Parliament must elect a new President within thirty days of the death.

Given the deteriorating health of Talabani, his death would not be a surprise in political circles in Iraq, where they are preparing for his succession. However, the death of Mr. Talabani deprive Iraq of a key mediator when conflict between Prime Minister al-Maliki and the Sunni minority escalates dangerously.

For two weeks, thousands of Sunnis appear in several parts of the country against the policy of Maliki, they believe discriminates against them. This voltage is added to the crisis simmering for months opposed the central government to the autonomous Kurdish region in the north, including Jalal Talabani is one of the oldest leaders.

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lefigaro.fr%2Finternational%2F2013%2F01%2F04%2F01003-20130104ARTFIG00499-irak-le-president-talabani-serait-au-plus-mal.php&act=url

Edited January 4, 2013 by TAV

[vomer]

okay

[NWGUY]

Too bad if true. Talabani, was about the only Iraqi, in the Government, that actually cared about his people. I don't think there was much he could do with this government, but he did what he could.

God Bless him!!!

Go RV!!!

[GinaG]

He will make it to the havens gates, it really looked like he had a good soul in him.

[skrappyone]

This just looks to me like a repeat of what was posted when he first "fell ill" in December 2012 with the new news added at the end. I personally do not put much faith in the article. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

[cbs71]

Oh brother.....not this again......

Edited January 4, 2013 by cbs71

[Butifldrm]

IMO, I think Maliki was the cause of Talibani's demise. From all the BS Maliki has put Talibani through, he might as well hit Talibani over the head himself. JMO Thanks TAV for the post.

[SnowGlobe7]

I believe that Shabbs definatly cared about Iraq and its people

Edited January 5, 2013 by SnowGlobe7

[Tripphood]

Sad news but good soul or not there is only one way into Heavens Gates.

[Capn Geech]

Sad news but good soul or not there is only one way into Heavens Gates.

is there a way out of it? Because that was one turd of a movie.

[BKD]

Let's hope this is not true. Iraq needs him and we need him.

[snooz]

NAH !!! Watch the next article saying its not true !! Anyway.....I just hope its not cuz Iraq needs him and we do too....

SnooZ

[powerpager]

RIP

[Boozer]

Just fast facts from CNN , about the sixth president of Iraq, It' s Maliki's obituary you want to read about.

[Redhorse]

I don't believe he's dead. I think that this is propaganda. He may be ill but not dead.