[lemma=□]
[lemma=sistanus]
And that would be the reason the CPA is n't responding publicly - - a ) because it 's responding privately , b ) it 's probably still trying to figure out whether responding publicly would strengthen or weaken Sistani 's negotiating hand , c ) it 's trying to calculate the political impact among Iraqis ( of all denominations ) of treating Sistani publicly as an equal and interlocutor . If so , that would be a compromise between Sistani 's demand for elections prior to the transfer of power and the original US plan to select the sovereign government now through caucuses and follow up with general elections some time in 2005 . Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani , Iraq 's most influential religious leader , has said that nothing short of full elections could produce a government that was representative of the country 's population . Under the terms of the agreement negotiated by Mr Sistani , US forces are supposed to withdraw from Najaf and the nearby town of Kufa .