Forget fundamentalism - fight poverty.

The Islamist Development and Justice Party (PJD) , who are widely tipped to win Morocco's parliamentary election next year, will focus on fighting corruption and poverty rather than pushing a fundamentalist agenda, its leader said.

Saadeddine Othmani, who could be Morocco's first Islamist prime minister, said his moderate Islamist Development and Justice Party could be compared to Christian Democrat parties in Europe.

'The PJD is a political party with Islamic references,' he said.

PJD is the third-largest group in the 325-member parliament, just behind the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) which dominates a centrist coalition government with the nationalist Istiqlal party.

But, according to a poll by the U.S.-based International Republican Institute, the PJD could overwhelm USFP and Istiqlal and win 47 percent of the vote compared to 29 percent for the two other parties together.

Othmani played down the poll and predictions of a PJD win, which would cause concern among the secularist elite.

'Predictions often do not coincide with facts and reality. So let's not think too far ahead and let's wait. Voter opinions can change and the polls are not for tomorrow,' he told Reuters in the interview on Thursday.

If the PJD wins the 2007 election, it would be the first Islamist victory in North Africa since the Islamic Salvation Front looked set to win Algeria's parliamentary polls in 1991.

The ISF had a commanding lead after the election's first round. The Algerian military scrapped the elections before the final second round, provoking civil strife that lasted more than a decade and cost about 200,000 lives.

The PJD, mindful of the bloody experience in neighbouring Algeria, is sending messages of moderation at home and abroad.

Othmani and other party officials are expected next month to begin trips to France, the United States and other countries to drum up support for the PJD's moderate programme.

"Our duty is to reach out to the other side (the West) and listen to what they say. We must have a way with the West and use the good manner to win acceptance and respect," he said.

The US State Department has reportedly drawn up a memo calling for direct and permanent political dialogue with Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, which cruised to an impressive parliamentary victory last year.

Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news