The United States on Wednesday reiterated American support for the Iraqi interim government headed by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

The US supports Allawi and his government's call on the Mahdi militia "to vacate the mosque, disband its militia, renounce violence and join the political process," deputy State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters.

The Mahdi militia loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has been fighting American marines and the security forces of Iraq around the Imam Ali Shrine in holy city of Najaf for three weeks.

Referring to the possible role of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the settlement of the Najaf conflict, Ereli said the top Shiite Muslim cleric of Iraq is "a personage of great respect and reverence".

"We certainly welcome constructive engagement by all parties in Iraq to bring this situation to a resolution," he noted.

Sistani returned home Wednesday after a medical treatment in London, Britain to deal with the Najaf crisis.

Najaf, ranking the third holiest city in Shiite Islam, has been witnessing fierce clashes between Shiite militiamen holed up in the Imam Ali Shrine and the US-backed Iraqi forces, which has claimed hundreds of lives since August 5.

Source: Xinhua