Baghdad, Iraq ? Shiite Muslims, long oppressed by Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-dominated government, will hold a commanding majority on a political council U.S. authorities will set up this month as a forerunner to a new Iraqi government, The Associated Press has learned.

The governing council of 25-30 leading Iraqis will be the first step in a 12-to-15 month process that will likely involve a constitutional referendum followed by the first free elections in Iraq in decades, according to a senior Western diplomat who laid out the blueprint of Iraq’s path to democracy.

The panel will return some control back to Iraqis, though its composition is a sensitive matter. While Shiites are clamoring for a prominent role, Sunnis worry that an Iran-style Shiite theocracy could take hold and push them to the fringes of power.

The U.S.-led provisional government is eager to get an Iraqi council in place in order to dispel a common perception here that America’s mission amounts to colonization rather than liberation. U.S. troops have been the target of a growing insurgency — and officials say an Iraqi administration could help stabilize the volatile security situation.

A Shiite-dominated government would be a sea change for Iraq, which has been ruled by the Sunni minority since the days of Ottoman Turkish rule. Shiites, who make up at least 60 percent of Iraq’s population of 24 million, have often rebelled against Sunni rulers, but never successfully.

In the last Shiite uprising — after the 1991 Gulf War that left Saddam in power — Shiite leaders were hanged from lamp posts and thousands were killed.

The diplomat, who spoke on condition his name not be used, said Britain and the United States would never allow a fundamentalist Shiite government in Iraq. At the same time, he said the council should reflect the demographics of the country, with Shiites in the lead role, and minority Sunnis and Kurds evenly represented.

“There will be a slight Shiite majority, something like 60-20-20,” he said, referring to the percentage of council members coming from Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish groups.

L. Paul Bremer, Iraq’s U.S. civilian administrator, had promised to set up the council by July 15. He said it would be consulted on all major decisions and given the power to name ministers and fill other senior positions. But on Saturday, he left open the possibility the date could be pushed back.

“In the next two weeks I expect to see an Iraqi governing council established. This council will have real power and real responsibilities from the very start,” he said.