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Mediators arrives in Najaf
A TRUNCATED delegation of Iraqis arrived in Najaf by helicopters today to present radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr with a peace proposal aimed at ending the violent insurgency wracking the holy city. Cobbled together by delegates at Iraq's National Conference, it demanded that Sadr's Mahdi Army militia put down its arms, leave the Imam Ali Shrine where it is sheltering up and join Iraq's political process in exchange for amnesty. "This is not a negotiation. This is a friendly mission to convey the message of the National Conference," said delegation head Hussein al-Sadr, a distant relative of the cleric. "We want to change the Mahdi Army into a political organisation and to evacuate the shrine of Ali with the promise not to legally pursue those taking shelter there. This is what the government and all Iraqis want."The eight-member delegation - seven of them Shiites - arrived at a US military base in Najaf this afternoon aboard two US Army Blackhawk helicopters. Earlier today, a much larger delegation of 60 conference members had planned to take a convoy on the 160 km journey to Najaf. That trip was delayed, and then eventually called off, because of security concerns. After that delegation waited for more than seven hours to arrange a security escort, Hussein al-Sadr suddenly announced the smaller group would travel to Najaf by helicopter. "The government wishes this delegation to achieve its goals to end the crisis forever, to protect the people and the holy sites," Hussein al-Sadr said. "This is for the benefit of Najaf and Iraq and every Iraqi." A mortar round that hit a busy street several km away killed seven people and injured 47 others, officials said. Sadr's followers have said they were boycotting the gathering, though several members of his movement have been seen there in recent days. Explosions and gunfire shook the streets of Najaf today as the clashes escalated. US troops entered the flashpoint Old City neighbourhood, where the Mahdi Army was based, and US tanks encircled the Old City. The militants have battling US troops from Najaf's vast cemetery and revered Imam Ali Shrine since August 5, when a two month old ceasefire broke down. Posted by: tipper 2004-08-17 |
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