Iraqi Shias scramble for new PM nominee

The Alliance's original choice for the job, Ibrahim al- Jaafari, indicated in a televised speech on Thursday he was ready to step aside at the request of the bloc after resisting widespread calls for his resignation for months.

That raised hopes of a deal on a national unity government Washington hopes can avert a full-scale sectarian civil war and draw Arab Sunni insurgents into the political process.

The Alliance, which has the biggest bloc in parliament, had said it would hold a new vote for its nominee but shelved those plans fearing further delays and opposition again from other political alliances if they are not consulted first.

"The Alliance wants to agree on a candidate without going through another vote which could cause further delays," a senior member of the bloc told Reuters.