Iraqi Shiites Give Up on Prime Minister

Support for interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari has begun crumbling among Kurdish and Sunni Muslims, and even some of his own Shiite allies.

On Saturday, Jaafari, a religious scholar with close ties to Iran, saw erosion of support within the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a dominant Shiite party. The Los Angeles Times said a high-level strategist suggested the party would be willing to withdraw its support for Jaafari if it was unable to persuade the other ethnic and religious blocs to accept him.

Opposition to Jaafari among Kurds and Sunnis has been a main stumbling block to the formation of a new government since the Dec. 15 elections.

The country has been rocked with sectarian violence and executions since the Feb. 22 bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra, and there are international fears the country could fall into civil war.

Adding to pressure on Jaafari, U.S. Secretary of State Condaleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw made a surprise visit to Baghdad Sunday, calling for Jaafari to step down in order to escort in more political unity.