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PARIS : France's President Nicolas Sarkozy collapsed while jogging at his weekend retreat Sunday and was rushed to hospital where officials said he was "doing well."
The 54-year-old conservative president's wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy rushed to his side on the back of a police motorbike after being told he had fainted while running in the woods, a witness said.
Sarkozy was taken by helicopter to the Val de Grace military hospital in Paris, where he was "doing well and talking normally to medical staff," his chief of staff Claude Gueant told AFP.
A presidential aide told AFP that Sarkozy had a problem related to his vagus nerve -- which helps the body regulate its heart rate -- but that doctors considered the problem "minor."
A condition known as vasovagal syncope can reduce the heart rate and blood pressure -- particularly if the victim is dehydrated. Patients can faint but normally make a complete recovery, medical experts said.
Sarkozy was out jogging as the sun-drenched French capital sweltered in high humidity and temperatures of up to 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit).
A witness, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP she saw a jogger surrounded by bodyguards stumble and collapse in the grounds of La Lanterne, the presidential weekend home near Versailles Palace.
Bodyguards kept onlookers away and laid the man behind a tree and Sarkozy's wife arrived on the police motorbike, the witness said. Then two helicopters landed nearby. One of the chopper's took off again at about 1.30pm (1130 GMT).
Sarkozy is being treated at Val de Grace hospital, a short flight away in Paris, which traditionally treats heads of state.
Prime Minister Francois Fillon's office said that he had cut short a weekend break in the countryside and was returing to Paris.
Arriving on the Champs Elysees avenue to see the final stage of the Tour de France bike race, Betrand Delanoe the socialist mayor of Paris wished the president a "speedy recovery."
Sarkozy, who assumed the French presidency in May 2007, is a fitness enthusiast, and is often seen jogging or cycling with aides and bodyguards.
Just over three weeks ago, the Elysee Palace released the findings of Sarkozy's latest annual health check-up, describing the results of recent blood and heart tests as "normal." No further details were provided.
During his election campaign, Sarkozy pledged to publish regular health bulletins. So far the Elysee has published one full report, five days after the president was sworn in, saying he was fit to hold office.
Sarkozy was briefly hospitalised in October 2007 for minor throat surgery. The presidency never officially reported the fact, but it was confirmed by aides in January 2008.
His office said afterwards that the Elysee would publish health bulletins on a yearly basis, but none was released in 2008.
Secrecy has long surrounded the health of French heads of state, with former Socialist president Francois Mitterrand able to hide for 11 years the fact that he had prostate cancer, diagnosed soon after his election in 1981.
Sarkozy was elected in May 2007 on a pledge to shake up France's economy and soon won a nickname as the "hyper president" for his aggressive style of governance.
In his personal life, he is known for a whirlwind romance with Italian-born model-turned-singer Bruni. The two married in February 2008, three months after his divorce from second wife Cecilia Ciganer-Albaniz.
Born to a Hungarian immigrant father, an aristocrat who fled communism, Sarkozy grew up in the wealthy Paris suburb of Neuilly, where he began his political career aged 22 and was elected France's youngest mayor aged 28.
For years a protege of right-wing leader President Jacques Chirac, Sarkozy backed his mentor's rival Edouard Balladur for the presidency in 1995 and later openly campaigned to dethrone his former ally.
As president, Sarkozy has dominated his government -- often sidelining Prime Minister Fillon -- and has promised a clean break from the Chirac years while reforming France's huge state infrastructure.
In foreign policy he has moved France closer to the United States, partly repairing previous disputes over the Iraq war by rejoining NATO's US-led military command and deploying more forces to Afghanistan.
At home, his plans to pare back the public sector have hit tough domestic opposition, heightened by the global economic crisis, and his opinion poll levels have dropped significantly.
- AFP /ls
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