U.N. extends sympathies for loss of Hakim

BAGHDAD, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- The top U.N. envoy to Iraq lent his voice to a growing number of leaders expressing their sympathy for the passing of a leading Iraqi Shiite cleric in Iran.

Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, one of the most powerful Shiite leaders in Iraq, died Wednesday in Tehran where he was seeking treatment for lung cancer.

Ad Melkert, the U.N. special envoy for Iraq, expressed his condolences for the family of Hakim and to the people of Iraq.

"Iraq lost an important leader at a critical juncture," the envoy said.

Hakim gained considerable power in the wake of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, earning a political reputation with Iranian and American leaders.

"Throughout his life, his eminence demonstrated courage and fortitude, contributing to the building of a new Iraq," read a statement from the White House. "We offer our sincere condolences to his family and colleagues."

Hakim led his influential Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council to power, securing a dominant role in the post-invasion political climate in Iraq along with the Dawa Party of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

His passing comes on the heels of the inauguration of the Iraqi National Alliance, a party that includes SIIC and members of the Sadrist Movement, a party loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr.

The INA is expected to mount a challenge to Maliki in the January elections.

Hakim was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2007 in the United States. He was 59.