Washington: A top Democrat leader has expressed confidence that neither Senator Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton are looking for a prolonged battle that will end up in a divisive national convention this August.

The Chairman of the Democratic National Committee Howard Dean, however, warned that the ongoing sniping between the two candidates will work to the advantage of the Republican presumptive nominee Senator John McCain.

"...this is a race that's more important than either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama. This is a race about the change in our country," Dean said on the CBS Sunday Programme.

Dean has no magic solutions to end the bitter primary season where much of the focus is on how the so-called super delegates will play their cards in favour of either Obama or Clinton.

"... The only thing that is going to make John McCain president is disunity among Democrats. And we cannot afford four more years, essentially, of George Bush.

So, I think the remaining 300-some-odd superdelegates, or unpledged delegates, will continue to do what the 470-odd have already done, which is to make their views known," Dean said.

"In the modern era of primaries and caucuses, where the voters actually get to choose the nominee, we don't do that anymore. So my job is to make sure, first of all, the voters get their fair chance to express themselves, which we re doing.

"And then, secondly, to bring all the instruments that I have, which aren't all that many, but to bring them to bear on getting an agreement between the candidates to find a way to seat Florida and Michigan, and then to have this process clear," Dean said.

Source : PTI