Top Iraq cleric says no role in talks on new PM as protests persist

Iraq's top Shiite cleric said on Friday he was not taking part in talks on the country's new premier, as his supporters joined apprehensive youths still protesting in the capital despite widening intimidation campaigns.

Young demonstrators have thronged Baghdad and the Shiite-majority south since October, accusing the entrenched political elite of corruption and incompetence.

Last week, they brought down embattled prime minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, who resigned after top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani intervened following a crackdown on protesters that has left around 430 people dead.

This Friday, Sistani said the Shiite religious leadership, or "marjaiyah", was not involved in talks on a new PM.

"The marjaiyah is not party to any discussions on this and has no role in any way whatsoever," he said, in a sermon read by his representative in the shrine city of Karbala.

He did, however, urge that a new premier be selected within the 15-day window outlined in the constitution and with no "foreign interference."
With robed clerics in white turbans at their head, their procession circled through Tahrir, carrying signs reading, "The marjaiyah is our support!"
"This is in support of our brothers protesting in Tahrir."
Amnesty International said the reports of his abduction were "alarming."