NAJAF, April 30: Some Shias in this Iraqi holy city complain that the return of former Baathists to the army and schools is unfair punishment by the United States for the armed opposition led by Shia radical leader Moqtada Sadr.

"The latest events have not been to our advantage as they gave the Americans the excuse to conclude that they could only count on Baathists to bring order to Iraq," said Amer al Najafi, 36, referring to members of the former ruling party of ousted president Saddam Hussein.

Friends seated in the inner court of Najaf's holiest shrine, the mausoleum of Hazrat Ali, waiting for the Friday prayers, all agreed with Najafi's assessment. They expressed anger and frustration at the decision by civil administrator Paul Bremer last week to reinstate thousands of former Baathists to the army as well as universities and schools.

Moslem Hamad, 25, a farmer from nearby Kufa said it was "a very dangerous decision" because so many people suffered under the Baathist regime that some might be "driven to kill former Baathists if they are returned to positions of authority."

All of the men insisted they had no time for Sadr, who has been holed up in Najaf for almost a month now, surrounded by members of his Mehdi Army militia. They all said they followed Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, who has followed a more moderate line towards the US-led occupation.

They warned that the influence that Ayatollah Sistani had won for Iraq's long-oppressed majority since Saddam's ouster was now being threatened by the actions of Sadr and cited the return of Baathists as an example. -AFP