BAGHDAD - Shiite leaders in parliament and leaders of the movement of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr agreed to a truce early Saturday that would end more than a month of bloody fighting in the vast, crowded Baghdad ghetto of Sadr City.

The hope is to stop the bloodshed there, which has claimed the lives of several hundred people, wounded many more and forced residents to flee the embattled neighborhood.

The fighting was a test of Iraq's Shiite-led government against powerful Shiite militias, both in Baghdad and in Basrah, to the south.

The deal would allow both sides to stand down from what was becoming a messy and unpopular showdown in the months leading up to crucial provincial elections. It is not clear who won or how long the truce will last, but at least for now it will end the internecine warfare among Shiite factions.

The agreement will give the government some control over Sadr City, a largely lawless area, and give members of al-Sadr's militia who were not actively involved in the fighting a guarantee that they would not be arrested.

Parliament members involved in the deal said the gunmen had four days to withdraw.

Blame for all parties

The decision to negotiate a cease-fire came as both parties realized that they were losing ground.

Civilians in Sadr City blame both sides for their suffering.

The Iraqi government has done little to ease the crisis and allow medical and humanitarian aid to reach people.

The Shiite militias are suffering casualties and are also being blamed for civilian deaths, especially in gunbattles in which civilians frequently bear the brunt of the bullets.

"The ground has changed for them," said Jalaluddin al-Sagheer, a member of parliament from the Islamic Supreme Iraqi Council, a rival party to the Sadrists. "They are suffering a lot of losses and defeats, and they are politically isolated."

Conversely, he added, "there is national, political unity" coalescing behind the government.

Whether the truce will last is an open question.

In Basrah, where a similar deal was struck last month, violence stopped completely almost overnight, but in the past couple of days there have been a few explosions of homemade bombs and rocket fire that suggest the armed groups are merely underground for the time being.

By Saturday evening, word of the truce had yet to trickle down to the front lines in Sadr City, where the fighting continued. Four homemade bombs exploded there, and there were several firefights.

Residents of Sadr City expressed doubt that the truce would hold and frustration at both the government and the militia.

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