Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a hardline cleric designated a terrorist by the US for suspected links to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, has also criticized Washington for supporting warlords in their battle with Islamic militia.
"We are ready for partnership with the Americans. We would like to work with them if they respect us and stop interfering with Somali internal affairs," the head of the Somali Council of Islamic Courts (CIC) cleric said.
"America should know that all people are equal and that no one has a right to dictate policies to others, including how to administer a nation. It is our right to impose the laws that we want to govern our country. If we follow Sharia law, it is not America's problem.
"I am not against the US or any other country, but I will prioritise the interest of Somalia, the guidance of Allah and His commands."
Invitation to Ethiopia
Mr Aweys also said he was ready to negotiate with Ethiopia to resolve the territorial dispute that has been a source of animosity between the two countries.
Relations between the countries have been frosty since they fought in 1977-1978 over the ownership of the Ogaden region in southeastern Ethiopia, which is largely inhabited by ethnic Somalis.
But Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Mr Aweys was a threat to Ethiopia.
He said security along Ethiopia’s had been increased in case of "the resurgence of Jihadists in Mogadishu".
Analysts say efforts to settle the border dispute faces challenges, notably because Addis Ababa is a key ally of Washington in its "war on terror".
Mr Aweys - who was head of al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, a group accused of having links to al-Qaeda - was elected on the weekend to head the CIC.
The CIC will have ultimate authority over the coalition of Islamic courts that wrested Mogadishu from the warlord alliance on June 5 after months of fighting.
His appointment has rekindled fears of a Taliban-like takeover of Somalia that could become a haven and breeding ground for radical Islam.
Mr Aweys’ alleged links to al-Qaeda and charges that the courts are harboring extremists, including Al-Qaeda members, were a key reason Washington backed the the now-defeated warlord's Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism.
The cleric rejects the claims.