Baghdad, Iraq ? Iraqi political and religious leaders meeting to choose an interim national assembly voted Monday to dispatch a high-level delegation to the holy city of Najaf to try to avert a showdown between armed supporters of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and U.S. and Iraqi forces.

The delegation of several dozen Iraqis intends to travel this morning to Najaf, where intense fighting broke out Aug. 5. The group plans to present al-Sadr and his forces with a list of demands: Leave the Imam Ali Mosque where they are dug in, disarm and join the political process. In exchange, al-Sadr and members of his Al Mahdi militia would receive amnesty and safe passage out of the shrine, one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam.

Although al-Sadr has agreed to meet with the delegation, it was far from clear whether he would abandon his battle to drive U.S. forces out of Iraq — a fight he has vowed to pursue until “victory or martyrdom.”

Negotiations with representatives of interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi broke down Saturday after barely 24 hours, and officials announced that “military clearing operations” would resume to “establish law and order” in Najaf.

American armor and Iraqi forces have closed in on the Imam Ali Mosque in the last few days, prompting fears that an all-out clash is imminent. If the shrine were damaged in fighting, that could ignite a wider Shiite uprising.

On Monday, sporadic fighting continued in Najaf, as U.S. tanks edged to within 500 yards of the shrine and explosions shook an adjacent cemetery that has been the scene of fierce battles.

The national conference was to elect a 100-member national council Monday to counterbalance Allawi’s government until elections take place next year. But with the Najaf crisis dominating the gathering, the selection of the council was postponed until today.

Death toll rises

In other developments, the American military reported Monday that a third soldier died Sunday in fighting in Najaf. Two servicemen were initially reported slain.

U.S. Army soldiers fight in the streets of Najaf, Iraq. Sporadic but heavy fighting continued Monday with insurgents firing, rockets, mortars and small arms.

As of Monday, 935 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq in March 2003, according to the Defense Department.

Kidnappings continue

Also Monday, police said a Western journalist, Micah Garen, and his Iraqi translator, Amir Doushi, were kidnapped as they walked through a crowded market in the southern city of Nasiriyah.

Adnan al-Shoraify, deputy governor of Dhi Qar province, said Garen was a journalist with U.S.-French citizenship who worked for the U.S.-based Four Corners Media and was working on a project involving antiquities near Nasiriyah.