IIP says Hakim’s death ‘great loss’

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Islamic Party has described the death of Shiite leader Abdulaziz al-Hakim as a “great loss,” saying his absence cannot simply be made up. “The death of Abdulaziz al-Hakim is a loss of prominent politician. His absence will leave a void on the Iraqi scene that cannot easily be filled, particularly at such a critical and sensitive stage in Iraq’s contemporary history. May he rest in peace…,” the Sunni party said in a statement received by Iraqi News. Earlier today, al-Furat satellite channel announced his death in a Urgent. The cleric died after his medical team had failed to prevent a deterioration in his health. Ammar al-Hakim, son of Abdulaziz al-Hakim, announced in an urgent statement the death of his father, praising his history in fighting the former regime and consoling the Iraqi people and the Islamic world. Al-Hakim, born in 1950, headed the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) since 2003, after his brother, Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Baqer al-Hakim, was killed in a car bomb. Abdulaziz al-Hakim’s son Ammar al-Hakim is expected to next lead SIIC. SIIC is part of Iraq’s ruling Shiite alliance, which also includes Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Dawa party, but SIIC announced this week it would lead a new group to compete in January’s polls without Maliki. SS (S)/SR 1