Dalai Lama has surgery for gallstones

DHARAMSALA, India (Reuters) - The Dalai Lama has undergone successful surgery in a New Delhi hospital to remove gallstones and expects to resume his duties by the end of the month, a senior aide said on Friday.

"He will be in the hospital for a day or two to recover. He is fine now," Tenzin Taklha said from Dharamsala, the Indian base for the Tibetan government-in-exile.

The Dalai Lama, who was admitted briefly to a Mumbai hospital in August with abdominal discomfort, will probably remain in Delhi for about a week to get some rest, Taklha said.

"There is no rush to get him back," he said.

"We hope to resume his schedule by the end of this month," he said, adding there was no change to a planned visit to Japan in the first week of November.

Doctors had earlier advised the globe-trotting Dalai Lama to cut down on long travels and rest more.

U.S. President George W. Bush had called to inquire about his health last month after the Nobel Peace Prize winner cancelled visits to Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

At his public discourses, the Dalai Lama has routinely spoken for three to four hours, cheerfully answering questions from followers and admirers.

The Dalai Lama has called a special meeting of Tibetan exiles in November or December to discuss this year's political unrest in Tibet and the future of the Tibetan movement.