Austrian finance minister has cancer, plans to keep working

VIENNA, July 13 - Austrian Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer has cancer and will undergo treatment for the next three months while remaining in office and continuing to work, he said in a statement issued by his ministry on Monday.

Marterbauer, a 61-year-old economist brought into government by the Social Democrats, is the most popular minister in the ruling three-party coalition led by the conservative People's Party, opinion polls show.

He has been the calm face of difficult efforts to bring the country's budget deficit back within the European Union's limit of 3% of economic output, while his and the other ruling parties have continued to lose ground to the far-right Freedom Party.

"I have been diagnosed with lymphoma. An illness that now has very good chances of recovery, thanks to extensive research and the good Austrian healthcare system. However, it is important that I start appropriate treatment immediately," Marterbauer said.

"The treatment sessions will be additional appointments in my official calendar and will therefore occasionally result in the rescheduling of some appointments. However, the treatment will be planned in such a way that I will be able to fully fulfill my duties and responsibilities," he said.

The statement did not say what type of lymphoma Marterbauer has been diagnosed with or what treatment he would undergo, and a spokesperson declined to elaborate. REUTERS