Sadr offers talks to end standoff

[Henk Elegeert]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3705827.stm
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Sadr offers talks to end standoff

  Sadr offers talks to end standoff

"
Iraqi rebel Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has indicated he is
ready to end his month-long insurgency in Najaf if the
US-led coalition agrees to negotiate.

Aides said Mr Sadr's Mehdi Army could end its rebellion in
return for a withdrawal of US troops from the city.

Earlier, hundreds of people marched in Najaf calling for Mr
Sadr to end his uprising to avoid civilian casualties.

Witnesses said a crowd marched to the central shrine area,
where some Sadr gunmen fired shots in the air.

Mr Sadr launched an uprising against coalition forces last
month and has taken refuge in Najaf.

Iraqi leaders in the holy city said the peace offer hinged
on US troops pulling out of Najaf and nearby Kufa.

Under the proposal, an Iraqi force would take over security
and the Mehdi Army would lay down its arms.

A similar arrangement ended a violent confrontation between
US forces and Sunni militants in the central city of Falluja
last month.

Peace march

The proposal came following a meeting of Iraqi political and
tribal leaders in Najaf.

"Agreement has been reached on all points of contention.
This agreement represents all shades of the [Shia] political
spectrum," Qais al-Khazali, Mr Sadr's chief aide in Najaf,
told Reuters news agency after the meeting.

Leaflets handed out by Mr Sadr's office said talks should be
overseen by the Shia religious authorities.

There was no immediate response from the US.

Earlier, the new US-appointed governor of Najaf, Adnan
al-Zorfi, said that if Mr Sadr disbanded his militia, murder
charges against the cleric could be halted until after the
30 June handover of power.

Mr Sadr is wanted in connection with the murder of a rival
cleric last year.

Tuesday's peace march in Najaf was organised by Iraq's
biggest Shia party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic
Revolution in Iraq (Sciri), according to AFP news agency.

The marchers called on the militiamen to evacuate their
stronghold near the Imam Ali mosque and chanted slogans such
as "leave Najaf to the residents of Najaf", the agency said.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/3705827.stm

Published: 2004/05/11 21:36:10 GMT

© BBC MMIV

"

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