Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) leader Hasyim Muzadi said Sunday that the central board of the country's largest Muslim organization would not give its blessings to a new political party that senior clerics wanted to set up.

NU figures who wish to establish a new party to challenge the Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid-backed National Awakening Party (PKB) should channel their energies into the party's national congress slated for 2009, Hasyim said.

"Just wait until the third congress takes place so that efforts to avenge their defeat can be done in a dignified way," Hasyim said in Malang, East Java.

He called on the splinter group led by Chairul Anam to reconsider their plan to set up a new political party as it would require tremendous manpower and resources.

Hasyim was commenting on a plan by NU clerics opposed to Gus Dur's leadership in the divided PKB to establish a new political party to challenge the government-sanctioned PKB.

After a protracted legal battle, the Supreme Court recently issued a ruling that recognized the Gus Dur-backed PKB, chaired by deputy speaker of House of Representatives, Muhaimin Iskandar.

Responding to the verdict, senior NU clerics who support Anam's faction within the PKB intensified efforts to set up a new political vehicle.

The group is expected to hold its first meeting Wednesday to finalize preparations for the establishment of a new party in Langitan, Tuban, East Java.

The splinter group was confident that a two-year period before the 2009 general elections would be enough to build a mass base for the party.

Gus Dur's opponents also vowed to challenge the Supreme Court's decision.

Hasyim said that as leader of the winning side in the PKB conflict, Muhaimin should make efforts to accommodate the interests of the opposition camp.

"It will create a more conducive situation. As for the losing side I ask them to be patient and wait for the next PKB congress," Hasyim said. (JP/Wahyoe Boediwardhana)