Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a key figure who has long sought to bridge bitter divides in his war-scarred country, arrived in Germany Thursday for treatment after he suffered a stroke. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Talabani, 79, was in the country for medical care.

"I can confirm that Iraqi president Talabani is in Germany for medical treatment," Westerwelle said in a brief statement. "I sincerely wish him a quick and full recovery." A spokeswoman for Berlin's Charite, one of Europe's largest university hospitals, told AFP that he was receiving treatment there but declined to provide further details.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012