FRANCE: President Jacques Chirac left the Val de Grâce military hospital yesterday one week after he was taken there for what doctors described as a "minor vascular incident that led to a slight vision disorder".
Mr Chirac (72) walked several hundred metres to talk to waiting journalists. "I'm going home and will resume my work," he said. "The doctors advised me to be sensible for a week, so I'll be as sensible as possible, because I'm a disciplined person."
True to his reputation as a bon vivant, Mr Chirac added: "I feel very well, and to be honest I was getting desperate to get out. Time was starting to drag . . . I am very happy to go now and eat."
There was no sign of the eye problem, which doctors yesterday said was a haematoma, a localised collection of blood, usually clotted, caused by a break in the wall of a blood vessel.
The paucity of information about Mr Chirac's condition led to widespread speculation. An official statement yesterday said that he should rest as much as possible for the next two weeks and avoid air travel for six weeks.
If the president travelled too soon, medical experts said, there was a risk that the haematoma could cause a full-blown stroke.
Prime minister Dominique de Villepin will attend the UN General Assembly in New York on September 13th instead of Mr Chirac. In February 2003, Mr de Villepin gave the most powerful speech of his career there, opposing the invasion of Iraq.
Mr Chirac's illness has boosted Mr de Villepin's chances of succeeding him as president in 2007. On Wednesday, he chaired a cabinet meeting in Mr Chirac's place.
Although Mr de Villepin still trails Nicolas Sarkozy, the right-wing UMP president, in opinion polls, the gap is narrowing.