Erdogan extends condolences to Talabani family

By Ilkay Guder

ANKARA (AA) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday expressed his condolences over the death of former Iraqi President and Iraqi Kurdistan Patriotic Union leader Jalal Talabani, according to Turkish presidential sources.

Erdogan made a phone call to Talabani’s wife Hero and son Kubat to express his condolences, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

The Turkish leader also wished Allah’s mercy on Talabani and forebearance to his immediate family and extended relatives, said the sources.

Talabani, a senior Kurdish statesman, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 83, in a hospital in Berlin, Germany following a long struggle with illness.

He was elected president of post-invasion Iraq in 2005 and was re-elected for a second term in 2010.