The leading Kurdish coalition, which came a clear second in the election, has laid claim to the presidency and key ministries as well as a promise of support for its demands for an expanded autonomy in northern Iraq when a new constitution is drawn up in coming months.

The Shiite United Iraqi Alliance, which won 140 of the 275 seats in the new national assembly, has formed a committee to discuss Kurdish demands.

"They will formally submit their demands to us today and the alliance will examine them," said Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, one of the leading politicians on the Shiite list.

A two-thirds majority is required in the new assembly to elect the president and two vice presidents, who will in turn appoint a prime minister, giving the Kurdistan Alliance's 77 MPs a key kingmaking role.

The two leading Kurdish politicians, Jalal Talabani and Massoud Barzani, took a strong line ahead of Thursday's meeting.

"We will throw our lot in with the side that agrees to our demands," said Talabani, who is the Kurds' candidate for the presidency.

Barzani reiterated that the Kurds could only support a government that was committed to a federal and secular constitution, and the extension of the autonomous region in northern Iraq to cover all areas traditionally inhabited by Kurds, including the disputed northern oil centre of Kirkuk.

But Hakim rejected any attempt by the Kurds to pre-empt the newly elected assembly's discussions on a future constitution for Iraq.

"Forming a coalition with the Kurds will not be at the expense of any other group in Iraqi society," he insisted.

Hakim, perhaps the most influential Shiite politician in Iraq, warned that the question of Kirkuk should not become a bargaining chip for the Kurds in the discussions to form a government.

"Matters like this (Kirkuk) must be examined in the national assembly. That's the right forum for dealing with this issue and the people must be consulted about it."

Hakim insisted that he nonetheless remained confident that a new government could be formed soon.

"Based on the discussions that I have had and my own assessment of the situation, I am very optimistic that there is no obstacle or significant problem for convening the national assembly and forming the government," he said.

But a leading spokesman for his Shiite religious faction, the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, warned it might take up to two weeks to reach agreement on the cabinet line-up.

Hamid al-Bayati told AFP that the Shiites were determined to keep the key security portfolios in their own hands.