Palestinian president Abbas has operation

From Ben Wedeman
CNN

(CNN) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is recovering Thursday after undergoing an angioplasty procedure Thursday at a Jordanian hospital, one of his aides told CNN.

Abbas, 73, is scheduled to leave the hospital in Amman later in the day and return to Ramallah, in the West Bank, on Friday, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said.

Abbas will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday in Ramallah -- the seat of his Fatah-led government -- he said.

Angioplasty involves inserting a catheter-guided balloon to expand blocked arteries.

Erakat said Abbas had not suffered any discomfort, but his doctor had recommended the procedure during a routine examination.

He could not say what specifically led to this condition, and laughed off the suggestion that peace talks with Israel had weakened Abbas' heart. E-mail to a friend

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