We're going to pay through the nose for all those U.N. slams.

[Shi'ite cleric Ali al-Sistani] will not hesitate to call strikes and a campaign of civil disobedience if the coalition goes ahead with plans to hand sovereignty to an unelected body in June, his representatives warned.

Backed by the "wrath of God", the cleric was willing to "continue this battle to the end", representative Sheikh Abdel Mahdi al-Karbalai said, adding that while Sistani was still ready to talk, an action plan was in place.

"(Sistani's) actions will be progressive: we will begin perhaps first with mass protests, then move on to a civil disobedience campaign, and then finally a general strike," Karbalai said.

Iraq's Shiite religious parties have found new voice following the capture of their longtime tormentor Saddam Hussein, piling pressure on the coalition to adopt a transition plan that reflects the community's demographic weight.

...Washington hopes the forthcoming talks involving Bremer and the UN chief will persuade the world body to dispatch a team to Iraq to convince Sistani to back down, diplomats say.

...Annan has indicated he is unwilling to send his personnel back into Iraq unless he is satisfied the security situation is improved and that the UN will be given a substantive role to play.  article

Security's a bit of a tall order, and the substantive role thing....

More headaches for the coalition have emerged in the shape of a US military inquiry into allegations of prisoner abuse at the hands of American troops at a coalition detention facility in Baghdad.

"These are serious, serious reports," said Larry DiRita, special assistant to US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The nature of the allegations was not given.

Although it was not clear if these were the same cases, a high ranking US army legal officer in Iraq told AFP that it was looking into a "handful" of incidents ranging from withholding food for a few hours to assault.

Everybody's being treated humanely and according to the Geneva Conventions - remember? I believe Mr. Rumsfiend has only just recently told us so.