Iraqi Vice President Adel Abd Al-Mahdi arrived in the U.S. yesterday at the invitation of President Barack Obama for discussions.

Abd Al-Mahdi is a senior member of the Supreme Islamic Council and is its candidate for the post of prime minister. He is one of the few Iraqi leaders who studied in France and received a doctorate in economics. He is a descendent of a distinguished Shi'a family, the son of a minister during the monarchy. He is considered moderate both politically and religiously, and has distanced himself from political Islam.

In an interview with the London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat on the eve of his departure to the U.S., Abd Al-Mahdi said that Iraq has earned $150 billion in the last four years but that there has not been much progress at the level of services or in terms of economic growth.

On the issue of religion, he said that the Iraqi constitution stipulates that Islam is the religion of the state, but that this does not mean that the state itself is a religious entity. There is interaction between religion and state in Iraq as there is in other religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Confucianism. In answer to a question, he conceded that the Islamic parties are moderating and that some of them have accepted the idea of secularism.

With regard to Iran, he said it was a mistake for Iran to raise its flag at the Fakkah oil field.

Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, January 14, 2009