Washington, Aug 13, SPA -- The United States has no plans to attack a holy mosque in the Iraqi city of Najaf where forces loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr are stationed, a State Department spokesman said Thursday. Adam Ereli said during a press briefing that the United States "is in close consultation with the government of Iraq about how we can support it in dealing with this situation." U.S. officials have been working with the Iraqi officials to find a peaceful resolution to the standoff, he added. "There are going to be situations where people don't buy into that, and it's the Iraqi government that's going to have to decide how to deal with it," Ereli said. U.S. officials are confident the interim Iraqi government will be able to address the situation, according to Ereli. "The minister of defense and the minister of the interior gave a very extensive press conference today where they laid out their call to the militias in Najaf to hand over their arms and resolve this in a way that minimized damage and minimized harm," he added. "We are going to work together with the government of Iraq to advance the long-term objectives that we all share, which is a democratic, prosperous, stable Iraq, and that is what we're trying to accomplish," Ereli said. --SPA1114 Local Time 0814 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/191478