Iraq's biggest Arab Sunni bloc told the main Shi'ite Alliance on Monday it had made a final decision to reject Ibrahim al-Jaafari as prime minister.

Shi'ite men hold a demonstration to protest Friday's deadly mosque bombing in Baghdad April 8, 2006. Three suicide bombers dressed as women killed at least 71 people at a Shi'ite mosque on Friday, the bloodiest attack in Iraq for at least three months. The mosque belonged to SCIRI, the most powerful group inside Iraq's ruling Shi'ite Alliance. [Reuters]

Dhafir al-Ani, spokesman for the Iraqi Accordance Front, said the bloc had informed the Alliance of "the continuation of our stand" to reject Jaafari.

The Alliance will hold internal talks on Monday and consult with Kurdish and Sunni parties on the Jaafari issue, which has created deadlock over the formation of a national unity government four months after parliamentary elections.

The Shi'ite bloc has also been informed that the Kurdish alliance has made a final decision to reject Jaafari.