The leader of Iraq's biggest Shi'ite Muslim group has returned home after 23 years in exile in neighbouring Iran.
Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim was greeted by thousands of cheering Iraqis on his return.
It puts further pressure on Jay Garner, the American administrator in Iraq, to speed up the formation of an interim government this month.
He had talks today with one potential leader, Ahmed Chalabi.
Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim is due to address a rally in Basra later today.
The influential cleric has led the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) since 1980.
He was jailed and tortured in the 1970s for opposing Saddam Hussein.
Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim has said he will perform whatever role the Iraqi people want him to.
The 63-year-old has also said he favours a democratically elected, broad-based coalition government in the country and has indicated that he is not seeking to remake Iraq in the image of Iran's Islamic Republic.
However yesterday he told worshippers attending prayers that the future of Iraq belonged to Islam.
