Profile: Sharif Ali bin al-Hussein

Sharif Ali is known as an elegant and regal figure

Sharif Ali bin al-Hussein could be the new Iraqi king - provided the Iraqi people want one.

The London-based head of an Iraqi opposition faction is the first cousin of King Faisal II, who was deposed and killed in a 1958 coup.

His party, the Constitutional Monarchy Movement, is a member of the Iraqi National Congress (INC) - a broad coalition of opposition parties which claims to represent diverse Iraqi communities such as Sunnis, Shias, Kurds, Christians and other minorities.

The 46-year-old "pretender" has spent most of his life in exile. His family fled Iraq in 1958 when he was two. He grew up in Lebanon and the UK, where he built up a successful career in investment banking.

He is known for his smart suits and cultured manners, acquiring a reputation for elegance which chimes with his personal ambitions.

As an INC leader, Sharif Ali has often said he wants to see his organisation play a crucial role in overthrowing Saddam Hussein's regime.

We should not open chapters of revenge, but we should open a chapter of justice

Sharif Ali bin al-Hussein

He believes the restoration of the monarchy could be the answer to a power vacuum that many fear will follow any regime change in Baghdad.

"The majority of the people welcome the return of the monarchy because they believe that the monarchy is the system that will guarantee the reunification of Iraqi society," he recently told the Doha newspaper.

Sharif Ali is keen to be seen as a champion of ordinary Iraqis.

"Our chief concern is to regain the will of the Iraqi people so that they can choose, with their own free will, the one who rules them."

War crimes

He has repeatedly called for US military action to overthrow Saddam and the Iraqi regime.

"We will not allow them (the US administration) to repeat the mistakes of the past by striking Iraq and its infrastructure and leaving Saddam in power," he is quoted as saying.

We cannot compare Baghdad with Afghanistan

Sharif Ali

However, he opposes calls for Saddam's assassination and wants to see him tried for war crimes instead. He has also called for an investigation into crimes allegedly committed by members of the exiled opposition.

"There should be an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding because each side has its own circumstances. We should not open chapters of revenge, but we should open a chapter of justice".

Sharif Ali sees the monarch's role as a mediator. "The king should not be a ruler, but should be a judge. This is our programme."

And he has rejected suggestions he could be Iraq's Hamid Karzai, the US-backed leader in post-war Afghanistan.

"We cannot compare Baghdad with Afghanistan. Iraq is a completely different country, because it is a rich country and has educated people and civil institutions. Also, there is no history of internecine fighting in Iraqi society. Therefore, there is no role for a Karzai in Iraq."

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.