A U.S.-backed plan to form a political coalition of Iraq's Shiites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds - a glimmer of hope in a nation torn by sectarian violence - failed to win the crucial support of the top Shiite cleric Saturday. Lawmakers who presented the plan to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the holy city of Najaf said they were told the unity of Shiites, who have the largest bloc in parliament, had to come first. By shunning the coalition plan, al-Sistani sought to unite the Shiite's fractured 130-member United Iraqi Alliance. But his decision - which carries great weight with the country's Shiite majority - significantly weakens American hopes for a national unity government and strengthens the hand of the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Al-Sistani's decision may not doom the proposed coalition, but it significantly reduces the it's chances. "There are obstacles in the face of forming this coalition, because al-Sistani does not support it," said Hassan al-Suneid, a top aide to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
An official close to al-Sistani, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said the cleric "will not bless nor support any new bloc or front. He only supports the unity of the Shiites."
The proposed coalition - which would not have included al-Sadr's supporters - could have isolated the militant cleric, commander of a militia army blamed for many sectarian attacks. Those attacks continued Saturday, as police in Baghdad said they discovered 47 bodies — apparent victims of violence between Sunni and Shiites.