Iraqi leaders on Thursday decided to postpone a parliament session until Saturday, hours after Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said his Shiite alliance will decide on his fate.

"The political blocs agreed to postpone today's parliament session at the request of the Shiite alliance until Saturday afternoon," Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman told reporters.

Othman said the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), the biggest political bloc in the parliament, promised it would make the decision on the premier candidacy by Saturday.

The long-awaited session, which was originally due on Monday, was postponed due to the ongoing political stalemate over who should head the next government.

The announcement came hours after Jaafari surprisingly backed off from his insistence on heading the next government, saying it was up to his Shiite alliance to make the final decision.

"Jaafari has left the decision about his candidacy with the alliance...which means he is no longer insisting on the post," said Shiite politician Jawad al-Maliki, a leader of the dominating UIA.

"Now it will be the alliance which will decide," Maliki told reporters.

Local analysts said this latest move by al-Jaafari, who has been under intense pressure to step down for a second term, could mark a breakthrough in the deadlock of government formation.

Jaafari's sudden turnaround came as a surprise to Iraqi politicians as he still reiterated his refusal to quit on Wednesday.

"Stepping down is absolutely not in my consideration. I can't understand how resigning ... would benefit the national interest," Jaafari told a news conference.

The Iraqi parliament convened an inaugural session on March 16 in order to press ahead with the political process after the December election.

Shiite, Kurdish and Sunni political leaders have been at odds over who should be the next prime minister as Kurds and Sunnis oppose the Shiite alliance's choice of incumbent Jaafari for a second term.

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2006)