Jaafari says he won't quit Iraqi PM post

BAGHDAD, March 29 (UPI) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari has rebuked calls by the White House for him to resign, warning the United States against meddling in Iraqi democracy.

The New York Times reports that key Bush administration officials, including U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, want Jaafari gone.

They criticize him for not being able to create a coalition as well as collaborating with Moqtada al-Sadr, a powerful cleric who has spoken against the U.S. presence in Iraq.

Jaafari is head of the Islamic Dawa Party and picked for the prime minister post by the Shiite coalition in parliament.

He said the Bush administration is threatening democracy in Iraq by calling for him to step down.