Michel Cousins.
Tripoli, 15 March 2103:
The president of the General National Congress, Mohamed Magarief, had heart surgery in Istanbul yesterday, Thursday.
A statement . . .[restrict]on his Facebook page today said he had gone to Turkey for medical investgations following pains and as a result had a stent inserted into a coronary artery.
He is now in good health and should leave hospital shortly, the statement read.
His office staff were unaware of the operation. When contacted earlier today, a member of the office said that Magarief was in Turkey but “genuinely did not know” if he had had surgery.
The Facebook page statement said that Magarief thanked all those who asked about him in his absence, and assured them that he would return to work in the next two days, God willing.
A stent reduces chest pains and can enable patients to survive a severe heart attack.
Magarief has been under intense pressure in recent weeks. Congress has been occupied and attacked, and trying to keep it operating normally in such circumstances would have taxed the healthiest of constitutions. [/restrict]
