Iraq leaders seek to flesh out peace plan

Washington's ambassador and its top general in Iraq welcomed what local media called Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's "Ramadan Agreement" as a significant step in the right direction.

"Now begins the hard work of implementing the plan," they added. Mass kidnaps by men in uniform and dozens of sectarian murders a day during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan have fuelled fears of all-out civil war.

Shi'ite and Sunni leaders were at odds in their interpretations of what was outlined by Maliki, after two days of talks led to a deal late on Monday.

One negotiator denounced it as a hollow sham. Another said it was merely a stop-gap to relieve US pressure on Maliki.

The US military reported eight soldiers died on Monday alone, four killed by a roadside bomb and four others shot dead by insurgents, taking the US death toll to 15 since Saturday.

The formation of local security committees for the capital is the plan's first point. They should involve politicians, tribal and religious figures and the Iraqi military. But several officials said they did not know how large an area each would cover, the size of the committees nor even their powers.

"There will be another meeting today to agree the details," said Adnan al-Dulaimi, leader of the main Sunni bloc.

All the parties would sit on every committee, whatever the sectarian make-up of the neighbourhood concerned, Dulaimi said.

However, Shi'ite negotiator Abdul Kareem al-Anizi said the committees would reflect the local populations.

For example, the Shi'ite militia stronghold of Sadr City would have few Sunnis on its committee. Such imbalances could be common -- in months of ethnic cleansing, thousands of Baghdad's 7 million people have fled areas where they feel in a minority.

The second point of the plan is a Central Committee for Peace and Security. The third element would be new oversight of the media and the fourth monthly reviews of the plan.