Latvian president in stable condition after heart surgery

HELSINKI (AP) - The office of Latvia's president says that the leader has undergone heart surgery and is in stable condition.

A presidency statement says Raimonds Vejonis' operation was successfully performed by a team of surgeons Wednesday at a hospital in the capital, Riga.

Citing workers at the Paul Stradins Clinical University Hospital, Baltic news agency BNS said surgeons had eliminated a source of an infection in the 49-year-old president's heart, and had replaced an infected valve with an artificial one.

Vejonis was hospitalized Monday to recover from a virus infection, his office said, but declined to give details saying physicians would provide more information Thursday.

Vejonis was chosen in June by lawmakers to become the small Baltic country's fifth president since it announced independence from the Soviet Union 25 years ago.