Sadr Says Won't Allow Foreign Interference In Formation Of Iraq Gov't

Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said Sunday he will not allow foreign interference in the formation of Iraq's new government.

In a statement, al-Sadr said the new Iraqi government will seek to bolster relations with neighboring countries "that did not meddle in Iraq's internal affairs."

He said the Iraqi government will "open high-level dialogue with countries that interfere in Iraqi affairs to prevent such interference."

"Iraq will not meddle in the affairs of the neighboring countries and Iraqi territories will not be used as a base for harming them, especially those countries that respect Iraq's sovereignty," al-Sadr said.

Al-Sadr's Sairoon Alliance won this month's early parliamentary elections, taking 73 seats in the 329-member parliament, followed by the Sunni Taqaddum (progress) bloc of Parliament Speaker Mohamed al-Halbousi with 38 seats, and the State of Law bloc led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki with 34 seats.

-Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara -