Maliki's hardline stance against Sadr and his followers would push them into the corner and trigger an all-out uprising, which the U.S. endeavors to avoid at a time the Bush administration wants to highlight progress toward a stable Iraq, observers said.

"These moves from Maliki against Sadr will certainly push Sadr's followers to abandoned ceasefire imposed last August and will raise their arms again," Ibrahim al-Amiry, a professor in politics and an analyst, told Xinhua.

The disappointing performance of Iraqi security forces in the recent Basra crackdown, during which 1,300 soldiers and police refused to fight, raises doubts whether the Iraqi government could handle an all-out war without U.S. help.

"Maliki is unable to defeat Sadr militiamen, that's why Maliki and his allies are trying to push the draft law to keep Sadr out of politics," he said.

"In the end, Maliki would perceive that he has made a mistake." he added.

(Xinhua News Agency April 29, 2008)