Cleric Sees No End to Insurgency in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Sunni Arab participation in a new government will not be enough to persuade Islamic extremists and Saddam Hussein loyalists to abandon the insurgency, the country's most powerful Shiite politician said Thursday.

Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, a cleric with close ties to Iran and head of Iraq's largest Shiite party, also said the Americans must address "mistakes" in the battle against Sunni-led insurgents and allow the Iraqis a bigger role in the fight.

The turbaned, soft-spoken cleric made his comments during an interview with The Associated Press in his heavily guarded residence along the Tigris River as the election commission was preparing to announce results of the Dec. 15 national ballot.

An alliance of Shiite religious parties, in which al-Hakim's group plays the leading role, is expected to claim the biggest number of seats in the new parliament but not enough to rule without Sunni and Kurdish partners.