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Iraqi officer denies US role in 'Sadr peace process'
(KUNA) -- The US has nothing to do with the "peace process", which began in al-Sadr City last night, an Iraqi officer said here Tuesday. The "peace process" was prepared before a relevant agreement was reached between al-Sadr trend and a delegation of the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), Major General Qassem Atta, spokesman for the Baghdad Operations Command, told a news briefing.Iraqi security forces managed to remove 100 explosives in the first stage of the process without any casualty, he said. Iraqi troops have deployed in al-Sadr city in order to thwart violence in the outlying city in eastern Baghdad, he added. The process is being carried out in collaboration with al-Sadr trend in light of the agreement signed by the UIA in a bid to prevent bloodshed in the city, he said. Speaking to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) earlier in the day, Atta said the "peace process" had already begun to search for illegal weapons. Under the process, citizens shall undertake that they have no illegal weapons, while gunmen shall give up their illegal weapons in return for money, he noted. He quoted Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as instructing an ad hoc committee led by the minister of refugees to cater for people in al-Sadr city and pay compensations to the affected people over Iraqi military operations in the city. On March 25, Al-Sadr was the scene of a joint US-Iraqi military operation that claimed the lives of some 100 al-Mahdi Army militants and Iraqi and US soldiers against the backdrop of recent Basra operations. The United Iraqi Alliance and al-Sadr trend have recently reached a government-blessed deal that could reduce skirmishes in al-Sadr city. Posted by: Fred 2008-05-21 |
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