Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit denied on Thursday media reports questioning his health and said he was in good shape.
"Thankfully my health is fine," he told a meeting of his party's deputies in parliament. "And I wish health and well-being to those who put out these lies about me."
The Democratic Left Party deputies greeted his words with cheers and shouting. One lawmaker read out a poem.
Turkish newspapers had commented on recent apparent weight gain by the prime minister, 76.
Milliyet newspaper attributed the weight gain to steroid treatment for myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune condition that affects neuromuscular transmission. It said the treatment has been successful.
Ecevit, whose three-party coalition has been one of the longest-lasting and most stable in recent Turkish history, denied the reports.
"I haven't even heard the names of the medicine they mention...For years some people have been saying I am on the verge of death. It would be better if they left such things to Allah," he was quoted as saying by Reuters. (Albawaba.com)
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