Iraq's Governing Council signed an interim constitution Monday, a key step toward a planned handover of sovereignty by U.S.-led occupation forces to Iraqis on June 30,the signing took place at a hastily arranged ceremony in Baghdad

The signing of the constitution has been delayed twice -- first by bomb attacks on Shi'ites on Tuesday that killed at least 181 people, and then by last-minute doubts among Shi'ites that forced a high-profile ceremony on Friday to be abandoned.

Just before the signing, loud explosions echoed across central Baghdad. At least one of the blasts was caused by a rocket hitting a house, witnesses said, adding that there were no casualties. The U.S. Army said it had no immediate information

Representatives of the five groups that backed out on Friday spent the weekend in the holy city of Najaf talking with top clerics including Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who wields immense influence over Iraq's 60 percent Shi'ite majority.

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They announced on Sunday that Sistani still had deep reservations about the document but had given them the go-ahead to sign it in the interests of advancing political transition. Under a U.S. timetable, an Iraqi government is to take over sovereignty on June 30 and elections are to be held by the end of January next year.

The Council started at 10 a.m. (2 a.m. EST) today.

The main point of dispute has been a clause in the constitution that may allow Iraq's Sunni Muslim Kurdish minority to veto a planned permanent constitution if it does not enshrine their right to autonomy in three northern provinces.

The Kurds, who have ruled three provinces of northern Iraq since wresting them from Saddam's control after the 1991 Gulf war, had said that if the clause was not included they would not sign, and the issue riskedng a new rift among Iraq's ethnic and religious groups.

Last week's bomb attacks on Shi'ites raised fears of sectarian strife with Sunni Muslims.

U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces in Baghdad are on high alert against any attempt by guerrillas to disrupt the signing of the constitution.

"The religious authorities have made their position clear to the politicians, but don't want to interfere directly," Hakim told Reuters. "They have deep reservations, but also know this interim constitution is a step in the right direction."

Others present said Sistani would have liked to push for changes, but felt the furthest he could go was to make his objections clear and leave it up to the politicians to do what they felt necessary.

Sistani has expressed objections to the U.S. timetable for handing back power, forcing the Americans to bring forward planned elections.