1 of 7
About 300 delegates attended the US-hosted talks on forming an interim government

2 of 7
Security around the venue was tight as several hundred Shia protested against the meeting

3 of 7
Jay Garner - Iraq's post-war administrator - stressed the ultimate goal of democracy for all

4 of 7
Those attending came from a wide variety of ethnic and political groups

5 of 7
They listened intently but many stressed that Iraqis should run their own affairs

6 of 7
Outside, opposition to US involvement in Iraq was more vocal

7 of 7
Protesters said clerics from the Shia holy city of Najaf were not properly represented at the talks