Talabani's office had said the president was in the US for knee surgery [EPA]

Talabani's office announced the president's condition on Thursday, following days of rumours that the operation had been more serious than originally reported.

The president's office said his heart problem was discovered by doctors while preparing to perform knee surgery.

"The medical team conducted a full check-up and discovered that Talabani was suffering from a narrowing of one of his heart's valves," his office.

"The matter was dealt with by a surgical operation which was a complete success."

Talabani left the hospital on Thursday and would return to Iraq after a recovery period, the statement said.

"His return to Iraq is not far off," Mustafa Sowrash, a senior official in Talabani's party, was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying.

The president's office offered no immediate explanation for why it had initially concealed the president's heart ailment.

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