Leading Shia members of Iraq's Governing Council met aides to the country's top Shia cleric on Saturday to try to salvage a deal on an interim constitution crucial to US plans to hand power back to Iraqis.
The constitution, unanimously agreed to earlier this week, was due to have been signed on Friday, but last-minute objections by five Shia members of the US-appointed Council forced an embarrassing postponement of the ceremony.
Council sources said the main reason for the late change of mind was objections raised by Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's foremost Shia cleric.
On Saturday, three Shia Council members and representatives for three others went to Najaf, a holy city about 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, where Sistani lives.
They gathered at the house of Mohammed Bahr al-Uloum, president of the 25-member Council, where they held talks with Sistani's son, a senior aide to the cleric, and other religious leaders.
After an hour of talks, Bahr al-Uloum told journalists they were moving closer to a deal, but gave no specifics.
"We're sure that any objections can be resolved," he said.
It was not clear if they would meet Sistani, a 73-year-old Iranian-born cleric.
In a statement on Saturday, the Governing Council said it hoped to salvage a deal by Monday.
Any lengthy delay is likely to hamper US plans to return power to Iraqis by June 30.
Bahr al-Uloum described the eleventh-hour wranglings as part of any normal democratic process.
"The disagreement is something natural and normal. With a calm dialogue we should reach an agreement," he said.
"We decided that Monday will be the day for signing the agreement," he said, but added: "I cannot give any guarantees, it is only God who can give guarantees."
Sistani, a reclusive cleric who has not left his home in more than six years, is playing an increasingly influential role in Iraqi politics. He has already pressured US administrators into changing their handover plans.
TWO KEY OBJECTIONS: Council sources said the main point of contention was a clause in the document that could allow Kurds - who make up a fifth of Iraq's population - to veto a permanent constitution if they feel it does not address their demands for autonomy.
The clause says even if a majority of Iraqis approve the constitution, it can be vetoed if two-thirds of voters in three provinces reject it.
The clause was inserted by the Kurds, who run three provinces in northern Iraq and want to be able to block any attempt to rein in their considerable autonomy.
Council sources said the five dissenters were following instructions from Sistani who objected to giving minorities veto power. The cleric wants to ensure Shias, who make up 60 percent of the population, have political power commensurate with their majority status.
Another problem concerns the make-up of a future presidential body. As it stands the agreement sees a president with two deputies, but Shias want a five-member presidential council, with three Shias, one Sunni and one Kurd.
In its statement, the Council said there was "widespread consensus" on the document and there had been "constructive dialogue...regarding an important sensitive issue".
"The Council will reconvene on Monday, March 8, to finalise the issue and sign the law," it said. Council sources said there would be informal consultations over the weekend before formal talks on Monday at 10 am (0700 GMT).
US officials in Iraq and at the White House played down the delay as a technical glitch, and said Washington still planned to hand back sovereignty on June 30.
"You're seeing democracy in action," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "The important thing is that Iraqi leaders are able to freely discuss these issues with one another and do so publicly."
A spokesman for the US administrator in Iraq said "98 percent" of the document had been agreed.
The interim constitution was originally agreed last Monday, but the signing ceremony, set for Wednesday, was postponed to Friday after bomb attacks on Shia worshippers killed 181 people. It was abruptly called off on Friday afternoon.
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