Middle East News
Iraqi Shiite party leader in Iran for medical checks
Jun 9, 2008, 11:22 GMT
Baghdad - Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of Iraq's largest Shiite political party is in Tehran for medical tests, his party said Monday.
His party, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, cited a senior member and lawmaker, Sheikh Jalal al-Din al-Saghir, as saying on its website that al-Hakim will undergo routine medical checks in Iran.
Hakim, 57, had received medical treatment in the US and Iran in 2007 after he was found to have lung cancer.
Hakim, whose party has the most seats in the Iraqi parliament, wields enormous political and religious authority. He is also the leader of the United Iraqi Alliance, a coalition of Shiite political groups, which rules the country in alliance with Kurdish and other parties.
Coming from one of Iraq's prominent Shiite religious families, Hakim and his party command enormous respect and have a big following.
The party was founded by Hakim's brother, Mohamed Bakir al-Hakim, in Iran where both lived for many years as political opponents of the former dictator Saddam Hussein.
Hakim, who accompanied Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki Saturday on his visit to Iran, will also hold talks with Iranian leaders, al-Saghir said.
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