Washington: US has firmly rejected any idea of allowing a "Islamic theocracy", which it charged Iran of promoting, to take root in Iraq and said it intends to channelise "competing political currents" to form a democratic government in Baghdad.

"Shiite Muslim-controlled Iran was sending agents into neighbouring Iraq to promote an Iranian-style theocracy among Iraq's predominantly Shiite population. This type of external influence was problematic," US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in an interview to Qatar- based Al-Jazeera channel on April 28.

"I would think that Iraq ought to be for the Iraqi people to decide, rather than for Iran to decide," he said.

Rumsfeld said US "firmly opposes any such meddling" at a time when it is aiming to channel competing political currents toward building a democratic, representative government for Iraq.

Echoing Rumsfeld's views, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters that whether Iraq should have "Islamic democracy" or not is "for the Iraqi people to figure out".

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The Bush Administration, he said, believes that what should guide any of these discussions is transparency, rule of law and tolerance.

"We have always said that there can be an Islamic democracy – not an Islamic theocracy like Iran," Fleischer added.

PTI