Cleric in clinic

IRAQ’S top Shi’ite Muslim cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, arrived in London yesterday where he is expected to receive treatment for a heart condition.

His main London representative, Sayyid Murtadha al-Kashmiri, said the cleric would go straight to a clinic where doctors will assess his condition.

The Foreign Office said al-Sistani was in Britain for a private medical visit. It said there were no special arrangements in place for his trip because it was private.

Al-Sistani, 73, carries great political weight in Iraq as he is the top religious figure among the country’s Shi’ite Muslim majority.

The UN envoy to Iraq and other visitors have sought his endorsement of their proposals.