Iraq's top Shi'ite politician has lung tumour

BAGHDAD, May 21 (Reuters) Influential Shi'ite cleric Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the head of Iraq's largest parliamentary bloc, said today he was in Iran seeking treatment for a ''simple tumour'' in his lungs.

''The results of these examinations found a number of limited infections and a limited tumour ... (Doctors) saw that the condition could easily be controlled,'' a visibly tired Hakim said in a taped address on his party's Furat television channel.

Hakim, a heavy smoker, did not specifically use the word cancer to describe his condition.

But he did not deny reports in US newspapers that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. He said he would begin treatment in the next few days.

The Washington Post has reported that Hakim saw specialists in Houston, Texas, on Thursday.

Hakim, speaking from Iran, said doctors in Iraq advised him to undergo tests in the United States. He said the results of those tests showed that he could receive adequate treatment in Iraq's neighbouring countries such as Iran rather than remain in the United States.

Hakim heads the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, the biggest party in Iraq's Shi'ite-dominated government, and is a powerful cleric who has good relations with the United States.

The party, formerly known as the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), was founded in Iran, where Hakim lived for years before the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003.

It is a key player in post-Saddam Iraqi politics and holds about a quarter of the seats in parliament occupied by the ruling Shi'ite Alliance of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Hakim's statement on his health came a day after another of Iraq's most senior and influential politicians, President Jalal Talabani, flew to the United States for rest and help tackling his weight problem.

REUTERS SKB KN1855