Allawi seeks Sadr's support to become Iraqi PM

Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr (R) welcomes former Iraq's Prime Minister Iyad Allawi before a meeting in Damascus July 19, 2010.

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Pro-Western Iraqi politician Iyad Allawi sought support on Monday to form a government from Iranian-backed cleric Sayyed Moqtada al-Sadr, in the first meeting between the once bitter rivals.

Sadr, an anti-U.S. figure who has emerged as a kingmaker in Iraqi politics, did not endorse Allawi but said Allawi had shown more willingness to compromise than Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki, who is trying to cling to power after an inconclusive election in March.

Sadr and Allawi met at a hotel in the Syrian capital after they had separately been received by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. They later met Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who was on a brief visit to Syria.

Iraq has been gripped by violence and political intrigue since the election, which failed to produce an outright winner. A bloc supported by Sunni politicians and headed by Allawi narrowly won the most seats.

Allawi was Iraq's prime minister in 2004 when U.S. forces surrounded Sadr and his followers at the Imam Ali shrine in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf before Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, an Iranian-born cleric, intervened and ensured Sadr safe passage, avoiding a bloodbath inside the grand mosque.

Allawi has had uneasy ties with the Najaf seminary and with Islamists in general. He has also criticised the role of Iraqi clergy in politics.

"If there were past differences, I am forgetting them so that the political process proceeds," Sadr told reporters

"I don't back specific names, but programmes and mechanisms to arrive at the next prime minister," he added, saying Allawi had promised him to draft a political programme he would adopt if he became prime minister.

Allawi said Sadr's views were "positive, showing care to preserve Iraq and accelerate forming a government".

"Something I am sure of is that the Sayyed (Sadr) will honour his word," Allawi said

An aide to Allawi said he could become prime minister if he secured the support of Sadr and the two main Kurdish blocs. Allawi has good ties with key Arab rulers and the United States, and has been trying to exploit discord between Iraq's main Shi'ite factions over Maliki's attempt to win a second term.

(Editing by Mark Trevelyan)