Washington  - Senator Robert Byrd, who once was a member of the Ku Klux Klan, announced Monday that he was endorsing Barack Obama for president.

Byrd, 90, said in a statement that he believed Obama is a "noble- hearted patriot" best qualified to end the US role in the conflict in Iraq.

"I believe that Barack Obama is a shining young statesman, who possesses the personal temperament and courage necessary to extricate our country from this costly misadventure in Iraq," Byrd said.

Byrd, who represents West Virginia, is the longest serving senator in congressional history and has been a vocal critic of the Bush administration's war in Iraq.

Byrd was a member of the Ku Klux Klan when he was in his 20s but later went on to denounce the violently racist secret society. He has also expressed regret over his opposition to 1964 civil rights legislation.

Byrd has held his US Senate seat since 1959. Byrd can cast a nomination ballot as a Democrat super-delegate, a group of party elite who vote for the nominee independent of the state-by-state contests.

Byrd said he considered former first lady Hillary Clinton an "extraordinary" individual but that he decided to support Obama. Clinton, a senator from New York, defeated Obama in the May 13 West Virginia primary by 41 points.

Obama is trying to become the first African-American US president and is leading Clinton to become the centre-left Democratic Party's nominee. (dpa)