Bush presses Iraq to form government

US President George W. Bush pressed Iraqi leaders again yesterday to form a government as it looked increasingly likely that the main Shi'ite Alliance would drop its candidate for Prime Minister to break the deadlock.

The alliance had been expected to decide on whether to replace Ibrahim al-Jaafari as its nominee but it delayed a meeting on a final decision even after intense pressure from Kurdish and Sunni leaders left it with no other options.

At stake is the unity of the Alliance, which fears that removing Mr Jaafari, who only won his nomination by one vote, would split the bloc apart at a time when Iraq needs strong leadership.

Mr Jaafari's critics - including some in his own ranks - accuse him of monopolising power and governing ineffectively.

The stalemate since December elections has seen Iraq slide closer to all-out civil war, with sectarian bloodshed and the emergence of militia death squads adding to the woes of Iraqis already demoralised by insurgent suicide bombings and attacks.

"Iraq's leaders need to rise to the moment, to put aside their personal agendas and take charge of their destiny," Mr Bush said in a speech in Washington.

Delaying the formation of a government creates a vacuum that "terrorists" can exploit and slow down progress, he said.

Alliance officials said the chances were slim that Mr Jaafari would stay on but they needed more time because removing him threatened to split the bloc.

Dhafir al-Ani, spokesman for the Iraqi Accordance Front, the biggest Sunni Arab bloc, said the Front had informed the Alliance of "the continuation of our stand" to reject Mr Jaafari.