BAGHDAD, Feb 22: Iraqi Vice President Ibrahim Jaafari was anointed on Tuesday by the Shia coalition that swept to victory in the Jan 30 elections as its candidate for the country's premier ship.

His ties with Iran and presumed support for a more Islamic state have sparked concern and, despite edging closer to the job he has long awaited, Mr Jaafari's ascension as the new Iraqi supremo is not yet a done deal.

"Doctor Ibrahim Jaafari was unanimously chosen," said Abdelaziz Hakim, who led the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) to victory in the elections and heads the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI).

"The idea of a vote had been considered but it was no longer necessary when Ahmed Chalabi withdrew his candidacy at the last minute," said Jawad Maliki, a spokesman for SCIRI, the main rival to Mr Jaafari's own Dawa party.

Mr Chalabi, a maverick secular Shia and one-time Pentagon favourite, had mounted a late challenge to Mr Jaafari's candidacy after early indications that the interim vice president was the favourite for the job.

He told reporters he pulled out to "preserve the unity of the alliance". Adel Abdel Mahdi of SCIRI was also seen as a candidate for the job but dropped out of the race a few days ago. Mr Jaafari immediately said that as prime minister he would make restoring security in the country his priority, pointing the finger at Iraq's neighbours.

"We will start with security because it's a problem that gives no respite to citizens," he said, adding that "inteference by neighbouring countries in the realm of security must be resolved".

Both Iran, where Mr Jaafari lived for several years, and Syria have been accused of involvement in the anti-occupation resistance, charges the two countries strenuously deny.

The UIA, which won 48 per cent of the votes in the elections and more than half of the seats in parliament, is widely expected to successfully impose its candidate for the post of prime minister. But intense negotiations among various factions in parliament on the makeup of the next executive were expected to last for several more days, as officials juggle the need to maintain a precarious ethnic-religious balance and reflect the election results.

Abdel Mahdi reiterated the UIA's desire to bring disenchanted Sunnis into the political process, saying meetings had been held with Sunni bodies such as the Iraqi Islamic Party and the Committee of Muslim Scholars. "We stand by the principle of dialogue and the participation of all," he said. -AFP