Jaafari: no attempts to establish a religious state in Iraq

Iraqi Interim Vice President and the strongest candidate for assuming the post of the prime minister in the new Iraqi government Ibrahim al-Jaafari denied any attempt to establish a religious state in the country.

Jaafari's confirmation came at a time when Kurdish leaders announced their objection to the foundation of an Islamic state in Iraq. Eyad Allawi whose list occupied the third position in the Iraqi elections of January warned against the foundation of a religious government in Iraq.

On the other hand, independent Iraqi political figures and parties met in Um al-Qurra mosque, to the west of Baghdad, under the banner of the Muslim Scholars Commission and called for "recognition of the Iraqi resistance and its legitimate right to defend its country and rejection of terrorism which targets innocent people and religious establishments."