Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was in hospital on Tuesday after what state television said was a stroke.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was in hospital on Tuesday after what state television said was a stroke.

"Due to fatigue and tiredness, (Talabani) had a health emergency and was transported... to the hospital in Baghdad" on Monday night, a statement posted on the president's official website said.

A later statement said that "bodily functions are normal and the health condition of his Excellency the President is stable." It said the emergency was due to hardening of his arteries.

State television reported that Talabani had suffered a stroke.

Talabani has struggled with a series of health problems in recent years.

Over the past year, he has repeatedly sought to convene a national conference aimed at bridging sharp political differences in the country, and has worked to reduce tensions among Iraqi leaders.

And since becoming president in 2005, he has won praise for attempting to bridge divisions between Sunni and Shiite, and Arab and Kurdish factions.

A married father of two, he has also dominated Iraqi Kurdish political life for more than four decades.