Updated on Wednesday, March 29, 2006, 00:00 IST

Washington, Mar 29: The White House denied reports from Iraq that US President George W Bush had told a top Shia leader that he opposed Ibrahim Jaafari as the country's next Prime Minister.

Bush spokesman Scott Mcclellan was asked about reports that Bush had written to powerful Shia leader Abdel Aziz al-Hakim asking him to oust Jaafari as the next Premier.

"I don't think that's an accurate report at all, what you just described," Mcclellan told reporters yesterday asking about the reports.

"It is up to the Iraqi people to decide who the Prime Minister is," he said.

The reports say the letter was given to Hakim by the US Ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad.

But Mcclellan said, "I know of no letter." Hakim heads the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), the main party in the Shia United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) that won December elections.

The alliance chose Jaafari to be Prime Minister, but Kurds and Sunnis oppose the dominant party's choice.

Shia, Sunni and Kurdish leaders have yet to form a government, more than three months after the elections.

"What we are doing is encouraging the Iraqi leaders to move forward on a government of national unity, based on strong leadership," Mcclellan said.

Bureau Report