Hundreds of men and a few women clamoured against the gates of the Al-Sinaa stadium, now the only drop-off centre for weapons under an initiative between radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and the Iraqi government.

The weapons hanodver is seen as a first step to restoring security and stability to Sadr City, an area controlled by Sadr's Mehdi army militia which has been the scene of off-and-on violence for the past six months.

There was talk in the crowd that the programme, which was expected to end Friday, would be extended. But there was no immediate confirmation from the government, the US military or representatives of Sadr's movement, which launched the initiative last week.

Members of Iraq's paramilitary national guard tried to control the crowd as police cars blocked access to the area.

Cars, battered jeeps and pickup trucks piled up with mortar and rocket propelled launchers, home-made bombs and ammunition lined up for almost a kilometre (half a mile) to get into the stadium.

"We spent the night inside our pickup truck," said Sabah Nahi, 30, as he reclined against two pillows and a folded up blanket inside his vehicle.

His companion peered from the back of the truck as he sat on stacks of rockets piled up inside sacks. Behind them another pickup truck was loaded with ammunition and heavy weapons under heaps of hay.

Many complained of dealers and intermediaries from as far afield as Kirkuk in the north and Diwaniyah in the south for muscling in and trying to profit from the programme.

Some accused those in charge of handing out the cash of skimming.

"I came with seven Kalashnikovs yesterday," said Khadem Abu Sijad, 39. "They said we will give you only 100 dollars for each, take it or leave."

On the first day of the programme Kalashnikovs were fetching as high as 250 dollars according to a list drawn up by a committee overseeing the handover.

Abu Sijad said he came back to see if he can work out a good deal to buy some arms from the hundreds of men lined up to hand over their weapons.

Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said Wednesday that interim government had paid about 800,000 dollars so far. He said Iraqi forces backed by US troops would start searches and sweeps in Sadr City after the end of programme to verify the extent of disarmament.

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