The nuclear scientist tipped to be prime minister in an interim Iraqi government publicly announced today that he does not want the job.
Mr Hussain Shahristani had been identified by US officials and others as the chief contender to head a caretaker government to which Washington will hand formal sovereignty on June 30th.
But Mr Shahristani, who was jailed under Saddam Hussein for refusing to take part in a nuclear weapons programme, said he would prefer to continue with his humanitarian work.
"I have decided to excuse myself from accepting any position in the interim government, and to continue to serve Iraqis in the humanitarian field," he told a news conference in Baghdad.
UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who is advising Iraqis on choosing the interim government, said through his spokesman yesterday that Shahristani preferred not to take the job.
Mr Brahimi has called for the caretaker government, which will guide the country to elections early next year, to be made up of technically skilled and honest Iraqis, rather than figures from the main political organisations in the country.