Shiites take steps to resolve issues

Eight suspected insurgents were killed in a pre-raid dawn north of the capital.
COMBINED DISPATCHES
BAGHDAD, Iran -- Shiite lawmakers met Sunday, the third anniversary of the fall of Baghdad to U.S. forces, in the first formal step to break the deadlock over Sunni and Kurdish opposition to their choice for a prime minister to head the next government.
But the meeting, held at the insistence of the Shiites' top clerical leadership, failed to produce any breakthroughs, as Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's key allies stuck by their support for him, according to Shiite officials.
Iraq observed "Freedom Day," a holiday that commemorates U.S. Marines tearing down a statue of Saddam Hussein as Iraqis cheered in Firdous Square on April 9, 2003, marking the collapse of Saddam's regime.
At least 15 dead
Meanwhile, at least 15 people were killed Sunday, including eight suspected insurgents shot by American soldiers in a pre-dawn raid north of the capital.
Representatives of the seven factions within the United Iraqi Alliance made no final decisions during the Sunday meeting but agreed to form a three-member committee to discuss the crisis with Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties that have opposed al-Jaafari.
Though the Shiites' support is still behind al-Jaafari, several names have been floated as possible alternatives as the Shiites face massive pressure from the U.S. and top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to speed formation of the new government.
The Shiites planned to meet again today to review their options.
Amid the ongoing failure of Iraqi officials to form a new government, Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., continued to push for withdrawal of American forces from that country as soon as next month.
The 2004 Democratic presidential nominee said President Bush should begin pulling out troops if the Iraqis fail by May 15 to agree on a new prime minister and cabinet -- decisions that have been stalled in sectarian bickering since parliamentary elections in January.
"It's unconscionable that any young American is dying because Iraqis, five months after an election, are dithering and squabbling and cannot find the ability to compromise and come together in a democracy," Kerry said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "Our kids didn't die for that."
Elsewhere, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak angered Iraqi leaders by saying Shiites there and across the Middle East are more loyal to Iran than to their own countries as he gave a startlingly frank warning about possible civil war in Iraq.
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