- Title: IRAQ: AL-SADR PULLS MILITIA FROM NAJAF, U.S. FORCES AGREE ON TRUCE, LATEST.
- Date: 27th May 2004
- Summary: (W5) SHOWS: NAJAF, IRAQ (MAY 27, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL MEMBER AHMAD CHALABI SAT AT NEWS CONFERENCE 2. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) AHMAD CHALABI SAYING: "I said that the CPA give tentative approval but I didn't say the U.S. army, there is some discussions with the first armoured division which exists here but they didn't know the details of this agreement and they will issue a press release about this agreement and I expect negotiations." 3. PICTURE OF IMAM ALI 4. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SALAMEH AL-KHAFAJI MEMBER OF IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL SAYING: "We are asking all the honour people in the world to stand with us to stop this bloodshed, Iraqi women want to get rid of the mourning black clothes. We want peaceful Iraq, independent Iraq without any terrorism." 5. JOURNALISTS 6. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SHEIKH AHMED SHIBANI SADR SPOKESMAN SAYING: "What Moqtada al-Sadr did was a peace initiative consisting of several points to solve this crisis and the most important point was the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Najaf and other cities and the Mehdi army will pull out from Najaf and other cities and end the its presence and Iraqi forces will take control in the holy city, and other point which was all the legal issues will be delayed until the new Iraqi government will be formed with new constitution." (U4) BAGHDAD, IRAQ (MAY 27, 2004) (REUTERS) 7. REPORTERS AT NEWS CONFERENCE OF U.S. APPOINTED NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, MOWFFAQ AL-RUBAIE 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AL RUBAIE, SAYING: "The coalition forces will re-position to their bases outside Najaf, while maintaining protective units at the CPA offices and Governorate building as soon as the Iraqi Security forces have assumed responsibility for public security and re-established law and order. There will be no vacuum of security in Najaf. Until that time, coalition forces forces will suspend offensive operations but will continue to provide security by carrying out some patrols." 9. REPORTERS Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 11th June 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BAGHDAD/NAJAF, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Reuters ID: LVA5WCS6KVG3X3J8MS35FD4ZS0HP
- Story Text: Moqtada al-Sadr pulled his Shi'ite militia from
strongholds in Najaf and a U.S.-appointed Iraqi official
said U.S. forces had agreed to a truce.
Moqtada al-Sadr pulled his Shi'ite militia from
strongholds in Najaf on Thursday (May 27) and a
U.S.-appointed Iraqi official said American forces had
agreed to a truce offered by the radical cleric in the holy
city.
But U.S. officials in Iraq refused to say whether they
would accept a deal that would mean withdrawing from the
city without meeting their previous conditions -- that Sadr
be arrested and that he completely disband his Mehdi Army
guerrilla force.
A deal with the radical young preacher could staunch a
major source of trouble for U.S. troops as Washington
prepares to hand over to an Iraqi interim government on
June 30. Hundreds of Mehdi Army fighters left frontline
positions to parade in central Najaf and three Shi'ite
members of Iraq's Governing Council, including Ahmad
Chalabi, held talks with aides to Sadr in an attempt to
negotiate an end to fighting.
Chalabi said the U.S.-led administration had given
tentative approval to a ceasefire and there would be more
negotiations on the ground with commanders of the U.S. 1st
Armoured Division.
"I said that the CPA give tentative approval but I
didn't say the U.S. army, there is some discussions with
the first armoured division which exists here but they
didn't know the details of this agreement and they will
issue a press release about this agreement and I expect
negotiations,"
said Chalabi, a former U.S. favourite who has criticised
the military offensive against Sadr's men in the holy city.
Iraq's U.S.-appointed national security adviser,
Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, said Sadr had agreed that fighters not
normally resident in Najaf would return home and had
demanded in return the suspension of a murder warrant on
which he is wanted.
Sadr had also asked that U.S. troops stay in bases,
leaving security on the streets to Iraqi police and
security forces.
"The coalition forces will re-position to their bases
outside Najaf, while maintaining protective units at the
CPA offices and Governorate building as soon as the Iraqi
Security forces have assumed responsibility for public
security and re-established law and order. There will be no
vacuum of security in Najaf. Until that time, coalition
forces forces will suspend offensive operations but will
continue to provide security by carrying out some patrols,"
Rubaie told a news conference in Baghdad.
After hours of silence from the U.S. side, Sadr aides
threatened to suspend the withdrawal until there was a
deal.
But Mehdi Army fighters continued to load pick-up
trucks with mortars, machineguns and other heavier weapons,
while staying on in the city with their personal automatic
rifles.
Following the capture of one of Sadr's top lieutenants
on Wednesday, Najaf had passed a first night for some time
without major clashes between U.S. troops and the
guerrillas.
Riyad al-Noury, who is related to Sadr, is also wanted
over the same murder, of a rival Shi'ite cleric in Najaf a
year ago.
U.S. officials have dismissed previous truce offers
from Sadr, insisting that he give himself up to Iraqi
police on the murder warrant and disband and disarm his
thousands of fighters.
Sadr said: "To end the tragic situation in Najaf and
the violation...of the holy places, I announce my agreement
to the following: an end to all armed demonstrations, the
evacuation of government buildings...and the withdrawal of
all Mehdi Army fighters."
Violence remains widespread in Iraq. The U.S. military
said on Thursday three Marines were killed in the west a
day earlier. Britain, the main U.S. ally, said it will send
370 more troops, bringing its total to about 8,900 in
southern Iraq.
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