Iraq's top Shi'ite religious leader hinted today that he would allow a delay to elections in line with a UN verdict that ruled out polls before the end of US-led occupation in June.
But Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, widely seen as holding the key to Iraq's political future, said any delay should be brief and any interim government should have limited authority.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has sided with the United States, saying elections in Iraq before the political transfer of power on June 30 were not feasible. He also said the date for restoring sovereignty that Washington wants "must be respected".
Sistani told Germany's Der Spiegel that an interim government should be charged only with running the day-to-day affairs of the state in the run-up to quick elections.
"This institution should not be able to take political decisions which affect the future of our country," Sistani told the magazine. "Such decisions should only be taken by a government formed from free elections."
Asked how long polls should be delayed, he said: "It should not last long."
Sistani usually does not grant face to face interviews but his office presents his answers to written questions. It was not clear when the interview was conducted.