Sistani will not Launch Street Protests: Aide

az-Zaman/AFP: Refuting reports appearing Saturday in the Kuwaiti press, an aide to Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in Najaf told the press Sunday that Sistani wishes to avoid chaos and does not intend to call his supporters out for demonstrations, even if his reservations about the interim constitution are not taken into consideration.

The aide, who asked not to be identified, said of Sistani that "He is not thinking about calling for demonstrations in the country, since he does not want chaos. He supports the holding of cultural and intellectual meetings to prepare the street for the coming phase."

If Sistani's reservations about the interim constitution are not taken into account, the aide said, the grand ayatollah "will issue a letter if he does not want the United Nations and the Interim Governing Council in Iraq to recognize this basic law as it is, or to implement it."

He said that Sistani's wilingness to meet with a UN delegation would depend on their attitude to the interim constitution and its controversial clauses.