Al-Jaafari given until today to win over opposition

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Leaders of the Shiite Muslim alliance that governs Iraq have given Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari until today to convince his opponents he should retain his job in Iraq's next government or face being pushed aside, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

In another sign that support for al-Jaafari is weakening within his coalition, Qasim Dawoud, an independent member of the Iraqi legislature, on Saturday became the first member of the alliance to publicly call for al-Jaafari to withdraw his name for prime minister.

"I call on al-Jaafari to take a courageous step and set a fine example by stepping down," said Dawoud, according to the Reuters news agency. "We have stood behind him for 50 days, and today we have reached the conclusion that there should be a prime minister for all Iraqis, not just one group."

A senior adviser to al-Jaafari, Adnan Ali Kadhimi, said no formal demand had been made for al-Jaafari to step down, and he would not do so. "No one is saying, 'We are giving you an ultimatum,' " Ali said. "Doctor al-Jaafari is not going to kneel to the demand of this person or that person. He is the candidate of the alliance. He got the most votes."

Violence continued across the country, meanwhile, with at least 20 people killed. The U.S. military said one of its helicopters had gone down southwest of Baghdad while on combat air patrol. The status of the crew was unknown, a military statement said.

Reuters reported that the Rashedeen Army, an insurgent group, said in an Internet posting that it had shot down a U.S. helicopter near the town of Yusufiyah, about 15 miles southwest of Baghdad, and that residents of the area had reported hearing gunfire.

The U.S. command also said a Marine was killed Friday during combat operations in Anbar province west of the capital. The Marine's death brought to at least 2,328 the number of members of the U.S. military who have died since the war started, according to an Associated Press count.

More than three months after nationwide parliamentary elections in which the Shiite coalition known as the United Iraqi Alliance won the largest share of seats, negotiations over the formation of a government have reached an impasse. Iraqi and U.S. officials have stressed that a government that represents all of Iraq's factions would be instrumental in stemming a recent wave of sectarian violence, but the factions have been unable to agree on who would be included — or who would serve as prime minister.

In February, the Shiite alliance chose — by a one-vote margin — to nominate al-Jaafari, who has been transitional prime minister for about a year, to head the next government. His selection drew strong opposition from blocs representing Iraq's Kurdish and Sunni Arab communities and a slate of secular, independent candidates. They reaffirmed their desire for al-Jaafari to be replaced in a letter to the Shiite alliance this week.

Within the alliance, some members — particularly those from the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, which backs its own candidate, Adel Abdul Mahdi — have criticized al-Jaafari's performance as transitional leader, but none had opposed him openly. Four of the seven parties that make up the alliance, including the Supreme Council, told al-Jaafari on Thursday they would withdraw support for him if he could not win over detractors within 72 hours, Shiite leaders and a U.S. official in Baghdad who spoke on condition of anonymity said Saturday.

Al-Jaafari retains the support of the other three parties in the alliance, including his Dawa party and a group allied with the influential cleric and militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, which helped secure al-Jaafari's selection in February.

As negotiations to form a government languished, U.S. officials have stepped up pressure on Iraqi leaders to move more quickly. While Iraqi politicians say American diplomats have privately encouraged opposition to the prime minister, they have publicly maintained their neutrality.

The potential alternatives could also pose problems. Abdul Mahdi, narrowly defeated by al-Jaafari in the February balloting, is considered the most likely replacement. But his party, the Supreme Council, is perceived in some quarters as too cozy with neighboring Iran, and its militia, the Badr Organization, is accused by many Iraqi Sunnis of operating death squads tied to Iraq's Interior Ministry.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.