U.S. sticks by Iraq minority protection

BAGHDAD, March 25 (UPI) -- The head of the U.S. coalition in Iraq has denounced a call by a senior Shiite cleric for majority rule, the New York Times reported Thursday.

In a ceremony marking the 100-day countdown to the transition to Iraqi sovereignty, Paul Bremer reiterated the need to provide proportional representation to Sunni and Kurdish Iraqis.

"Democracy entails not just majority rule, but protection of minority rights," Bremer said Wednesday.

In his speech, he made no mention of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who has emerged as Iraq's decisive power broker from his headquarters in the holy city of Najaf. Al-Sistani has refused to meet with Bremer or any U.S. emissary, and has issued a series of political demands on behalf of the country's Shiite majority.

Bremer has reciprocated the distance-keeping, making only third-party references.

"For Iraq to regain its prosperity and strength it must remain united," he said. "And that unity requires that the interests of all Iraqis be accommodated. In a country as broad and diverse as Iraq it is not possible for every interest to have all it wants."