Iraqi religious and political leaders have met with aides of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Najaf to discuss a proposal to end a two-week long uprising.
But the cleric himself did not meet with the delegation, because of what his aides said was the continued aggression by U.S. forces in the embattled holy city. The officials arrived in Najaf Tuesday as gunfire and explosions rocked the city.
The delegation's leader, Sheikh Hussein al-Sadr, said they will not negotiate, but are offering the cleric's fighters amnesty in exchange for their disarming, vacating holy sites, and joining the political process.
In Baghdad, a national political conference has postponed until Wednesday a vote to choose an interim assembly because of the crisis in Najaf.