Amidst sketchy reports of suffering a "vascular incident" and causing "temporary blindness", French President Jacques Chirac is now being listed as having suffered a minor stroke.

Cardiologist Dr. Alain Ducardonnet says, "This is without a doubt an alert in the brain region, in a small artery that feeds the retina. This could be a very localized problem or it could be the start of a relatively more serious incident."

He adds, "It is vital that President Chirac undergo a full arterial check-up to avoid a more serious incident".

The 72-year old leader is expected to remain in the hospital for at least another six days.