"We need a more active mediation by the administration of the US representative in Iraq, Paul Bremer," he said on Polish television, when asked whether an increase in the number of coalition forces was necessary.

"We need more politics and less military forces," he said on TVN24. "We will not put the lives of our soldiers in danger."

Earlier the Polish army said its troops were meeting with moderate Shiite Muslim clerics in Karbala to try to ease tensions in the Iraqi holy city after a Shiite militia issued an ultimatum demanding the withdrawal of occupying forces.

"The commander of the Polish brigade, General Edward Gruszka, is holding talks with moderate clerics about the possibility of stabilising the situation, averting danger and distancing themselves from the acts of the radicals," army spokesman Zdzislaw Gnatowski said.

The Shiite militia of radical cleric Moqtada Sadr, behind a deadly uprising against US-led troops this week, issued an ultimatum Thursday for occupation forces to quit Karbala where a major religious celebration is scheduled this weekend.

However, the army spokesman insisted: "There are no negotiations with representatives of Moqtada Sadr."

Karbala, where Bulgarian troops are stationed as part of an international force under Polish command, has been the scene of heavy fighting between coalition troops and the Sadr militia this week.

Gnatowski described the situation as "tense, but stable".

The spokesman for the Polish troops in Iraq, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Strzelecki was quoted by the PAP news agency as saying patrols had been suspended within the town itself for the soldiers' protection.

"Patrols have been suspended in Karbala so as not to endanger the lives of the troops. Patrols have been maintained around this town," he said.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passi said Thursday that the United States has sent 120 trooops to reinforce the Bulgarian unit.

The Bulgarian base at Karbala came under mortar attack this week and on Tuesday three Bulgarian soldiers were injured when a patrol unit was ambushed.

Bulgaria lost five soldiers in a multiple bombing at Karbala on December 27.

Poland commands an international 9,000-strong force in southern Iraq, which includes Bulgarian troops.

WAR.WIRE