"The Marajiy [religious Shiite leaders in Najaf] think a postponement of the elections would be unacceptable," a spokesman in the holy Shiite city said.
He said he was speaking in the name of all four leaders, including the influential Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the highest Shiite authority in Iraq.
Further indicating that the elections remained on target, the top US official in Iraq, Ambassador John Negroponte, said he was in favor of respecting the country's interim constitution, which says clearly that under no circumstances can the elections be held after Jan. 31.
"We believe there will be adequate security for these elections to be held on Jan. 30," he said during a visit to the city of Fallujah, which saw the largest post-war military operation in Iraq when US and Iraqi forces thrust into the area on Nov. 8.
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