With the American attacks intensifying amd tanks drawing closer to the Ali shrine, Dr. Allawi shows no signs of compromise.

The NYT has a piece, datelined today, reporting on the dwindling number of Mahdi militia in and around the shrine as well as a growing number of young men departing the city in small groups. Areas which had been the source ofmortar attacks have fallen silent.

Contrary to some speculation in previous days, Sadr has yet to accept a face-saving ending to the confrontation, and Allawi appears in no mood for negotiation.

In a speech on Monday, he blamed Mr. Sadr for failing to meet with a delegation of mediators sent by a national conference last week. Mr. Sadr's aides said they believed that his safety could not be guaranteed if he met the delegation, which had traveled from Baghdad to see him.

The rejection appears to have rekindled old doubts about Mr. Sadr held by many Iraqis. While he has become a hero to some Shiites for standing up to the United States, others believe that his religious knowledge is weak and that his militia is little more than a group of thugs. By shrugging off the delegation, Mr. Sadr fanned those concerns.

In a statement on Monday, Dr. Allawi again called on Mr. Sadr's militia to leave the shrine and disband.

"We will guarantee safety to all who drop their weapons," he said.

The defense minister continues to speak of decisive hours to come and to assure his listeners that the Iraqi army will be responsible for clearing the shrine. American forces claim that have yet to see those Iraqi forces.