BAGHDAD, April 2, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Arriving on a surprise visit along with her British counterpart Jack Straw, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Iraqi leaders on Sunday, April 2, time was running out to form a new government.

"The Iraqi people are losing patience," Rice said after back-to-back meetings with Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders, reported Reuters.

"What is more, your international allies want to see this done."

Rice and Straw came on a joint visit, kept secret in advance, to try to break a deadlock over forming a unity government.

Washington's top US diplomat, however, tried to dampen expectations of a breakthrough soon.

"We are not going to leave here with a government. That is not the purpose of this," she told a news briefing of US-based reporters traveling with her.

More than three months after December's general election, Iraqi leaders still face the daunting challenge of forming a new government with Sunni and Kurdish and secular parties refusing to join a cabinet under "not-neutral" incumbent Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari.

Rice said she made clear to the Iraqis that the United States, Britain and others involved in the war had a lot of "treasure" at stake.

"I did explain that given the sacrifice, people expect that process to continue and it can't now get stuck at the most important stage."

Amid plummeting public support, the Bush administration is stepping up pressure on Iraqi leaders to form a coalition government, seen as critical to putting a lid on spiraling sectarian bloodshed that has killed hundreds over the past five weeks.

Rice and Straw held separate talks with President Jalal Talabani, powerful Shiite leader Abdel Aziz al-Hakim and Jaafari.

The most tense meetings was with Jaafari, who the US believes is part of the problem in reaching agreement on a new government.

But Rice stopped short of saying Jaafari should quit.

"Maybe he will be able to do it but the urgency is that whoever is going to be the prime minister is actually able to bring enough of the other votes on board."

Journalists traveling with the diplomats reported a greater degree of warmth between Rice and Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi, a possible candidate for the premiership if Jaafari withdraws, than with Jaafari himself.

Rice reserved only 45 minutes for Jaafari but had a one hour and 45 minute lunch with Abdel Mahdi and Hakim.

Further dashing his hopes to keep the premiership seat, leaders of the ruling Shiite United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) on Saturday, April 2, joined mounting calls for Jaafari to withdraw his candidacy to break weeks of deadlock over a national unity government.

Senior Shiite politicians said US Ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, had told them President George W Bush "doesn't want, doesn't support, doesn't accept" the retention of Jaafari.

In another development, Iraqi political parties reached an agreement Sunday on the bylaws for the functioning of the next government, Talabani's office announced in a statement, reported Agence France Presse (AFP).

The decision marks the second achievement in as many days from the contentious negotiating sessions to form a coalition government.

It followed the announcement Saturday of a compromise on control over Iraq's security file.

The parties agreed to put security in the hands of a committee that would be headed by the prime minister and his deputy.

Talabani's office said that a two-thirds cabinet majority would be required for any decisions on the national budget, financial agreements, contracts over 50 million dollars, border issues, security, high-ranking military promotions and questions concerning national sovereignty.

Any issues involving the presence of US-led forces in Iraq would also require a two-thirds cabinet majority.

The requirement for more than a simple majority dilutes the power of the dominant conservative Shiite bloc which holds nearly half the seats in the 275-member parliament.

The parties also agreed that there would be a pair of deputy prime ministers charged with ensuring cabinet decisions get implemented.