Al-Qaida rejects Iraq polls

[ECH1969]

Al-Qaida in Iraq and five other groups have issued a joint statement rejecting any reconciliation with Iraq's US-backed government and condemned the legislative elections as religiously prohibited.

"To engage in the so-called political process and taking part in the renegade election are religiously prohibited and contradict the legitimate policy approved by God for the Muslims in their holy Quran," said the statement.

The statement appeared on a website known for carrying material deemed extreme, and was issued in the name of al-Qaida in Iraq, led by Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and the Victorious Sect Army and the Islamic Jihad Brigades.

"We disavow anyone who enters into any agreement or deal with this puppet government on the so-called political process," the statement said.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0DF6F8AB-D883-4600-970C-D060E5A05A6C.htm