His Majesty King Abdullah on Friday said the only language that should now prevail in Iraq is dialogue.



The King told a group of visiting Iraqi leaders, who were in Amman to attend the Iraqi Islamic Reconciliation Conference scheduled for Saturday, but was postponed until a further notice upon a request by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, that Jordan would continue consultations with religious and political leaderships to hold the gathering.



The King had invited more than 200 top Iraqi religious and tribal leaders to Amman for talks on how they could contribute to ending violence and encourage a political solution.



Abdul Salam Abbadi, spokesperson for the conference, said Talabani told King Abdullah over the telephone that Iraqi leaders were engaged in negotiations to form a new government.



At a banquet held in honor of the religious, political and tribal Iraqi leaders today, the King renewed Jordan's support for Iraq and its keenness on preventing a sectarian bloodshed and bringing an end to the ongoing cycle of violence in the country.



“The success of the political process in Iraq is a success for us,” he told the Iraqi leaders.



In statements to Jordan News Agency, Petra, the Iraqi leaders said although the conference was postponed, their stay in Amman provided them with a “rare” chance to confer on Iraq's affairs and issues related to where the country is heading.



Hareth Dari, head of the Muslim Clerics Commission, the senior Sunni authority in Iraq, said the conference remains “a good idea and a successful initiative despite the postponement... After all, it has achieved its goal and brought representatives of the Iraqi spectra together,” stressing that these representatives came to Amman looking for a solution to the problems facing their country. He said the leaders showed willingness for understanding and dialogue.



“The Iraqi brothers who came to Amman made it clear they have transcended sectarian, ethnic and political quotas to reach a consensus on the need to work hand-in-hand to rebuild Iraq,” President of the Iraq National Accord Front Iyad Allawi said.



Their keenness on coming to Amman “also reflects their willingness to interact with the Arab world,” he added.



Chief Sunni Mufti of Iraq, Rafe Rifai, and Iraqi MP Kheirallah Basri, representing Basra, also commended the King's initiative as one way to prevent sectarian fight in Iraq.



They were joined by Chief Editor of the Beirut-based Al Mustaqbal Newspaper Michele Nofal, who said the Iraqi response to the King's initiative to hold the reconciliation conference signals willingness to resort to their Arab brothers for a solution to their internal stalemate.



Also on Friday, the King joined thousands of worshippers for Friday prayers at the newly inaugurated King Hussein Ben Talal Mosque in Dabouq.



The mufti of Egypt, Ali Jumaa, delivered the sermon and led the prayers, which were broadcast live on Jordan Television.

The Jordan Times