BUCHAREST, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Romania's President Traian Basescu will undergo surgery on his thyroid gland at a military hospital in Bucharest on Saturday, the presidency said on Friday.

The 55-year-old president, who had an operation for a slipped disc last year, will undergo one-hour surgery after a lump was found on his thyroid gland. Checks had shown it was "not a severe situation", the presidency's statement said.

Routine medical checks in June revealed thyroid problems but Basescu had not required an emergency intervention, it said.

The operation will be the second on Basescu during his mandate after the slipped disc surgery in a clinic in Vienna in May last year.

Basescu, a former sea captain, was sworn in in 2004 after defeating the ex-communist party candidate and former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase. His term expires in 2009.

AlertNet news is provided by