NATO chief leaves hospital after artery operation

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has left hospital after an operation to clear a blocked artery, the military alliance said on Monday.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has left hospital after an operation to clear a blocked artery, the military alliance said on Monday.

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De Hoop Scheffer, 61, who is due to step down as head of the US-European alliance at the end of this week, is expected to return to NATO headquarters before his terms ends, it said in a statement.

Last week, de Hoop Scheffer, who will be replaced by former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen after leading NATO for five years, became unwell while attending an event in Belgium.