Shiite Muslim radical leader Moqtada al-Sadr has offered to withdraw his fighters from the Iraqi holy city of Najaf if United States forces pull out as part of a deal to end weeks of bitter fighting.
In a signed statement, al-Sadr also called for the postponement of legal proceedings against him over his alleged role in the murder of a rival cleric and called for a ”broad discussion” on the future of his Mehdi Army militia.
A truce has been called to allow for negotiations to continue between the two sides, according to a senior Shiite cleric.
Al-Sadr’s statement, read out by Iraqi National Security Adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubaie, followed Wednesday’s arrest of one of al-Sadr’s key lieutenants, Ryad al-Nuri, and appeared to mark a climbdown on his earlier pledge to lead his followers to martyrdom.
There was no immediate comment from the US-led coalition in Iraq but officials in Washington hailed the move as a ”significant achievement” to end weeks of fighting that have left hundreds of militiamen dead.
Al-Sadr’s uprising started nearly two months ago after coalition civil administrator Paul Bremer ordered the closure of his newspaper and forces moved to enforce longstanding arrest warrants against him and several key followers.
The US military said that it wanted to kill or capture al-Sadr, who is wanted in connection with the killing in April 2003 of Abdel Majid al-Khoei, a moderate pro-US cleric.
US commanders also demanded the disbanding of the Mehdi Army, and hundreds of its militiamen were killed in fierce fighting with coalition troops in Shiite districts across central and southern Iraq.
In his signed statement, al-Sadr said he has agreed to a four-point plan ”to put an end to the tragic situation in Najaf and the violation of the sanctity of the sacred shrine of Imam Ali”, which was damaged during the clashes.
He said he has agreed to withdraw his followers from government buildings and to pull out all Mehdi Army fighters from Najaf, except those who lived in the city, to pave the way for the return for Iraqi security forces.
He also called for the withdrawal of occupation forces ”to their bases” except for a small number to protect coalition buildings and the provincial governor’s office.
”We agreed to a truce so that negotiators can start their work,” said Sheikh Mohammed Mussawi, secretary general of the Islamic Action Organisation, which has been trying to broker a ceasefire for weeks.
”The two parties agreed,” he added.
Speaking in Najaf, Mussawi said: ”American forces promised to reply on Thursday to a plan put foward by negotiators to resolve the crisis.”
Washington has dispatched a member of the US Congress to take part in the negotiations, he added.
”We believe that Moqtada al-Sadr will also nominate a negotiator,” Mussawi said, adding that his group has suggested that United Nations and British representatives also take part in the talks.
In Washington, a senior US official said: ”They appear to have peacefully resolved the situation in Najaf, Kufa and Karbala. This is a significant achievement.”
A second US official said the ceasefire agreement ”resulted from the efforts of the Shia clergy to convince al-Sadr to stop the fighting”.
Sheikh Ahmed al-Shaibani, of al-Sadr’s office in Najaf, confirmed there is a truce but said there is not yet an agreement between the two sides.
”We are prepared to remove all armed presence from the holy cities if the American side does the same,” he said, refusing to give any timeframe.
”There are very serious efforts this time to solve the crisis but nothing official has occurred yet.”
Sheikh Akram al-Kaabi, an al-Sadr representative in the southern city of Amara, and the cleric’s main spokesperson, Sheikh Qais al-Khazali, both said there will be no pullback until US troops withdraw.
”There is no withdrawal until they fulfil our conditions, namely that US troops withdraw from inside Najaf,” said Kaabi.
”There is no withdrawal right now because the American side has not agreed,” said Khazali after talks with visiting governing council members.
A series of funeral processions were held on the streets of Najaf on Thursday after fierce fighting a day earlier left dozens dead, according to the US military.
Crowds chanted ”America is God’s enemy” but there appeared to be a lighter than usual armed presence around the Imam Ali shrine, where the Mehdi Army has set up base.
Two members of Iraq’s intrim governing council, Abdel Karim al-Mahamadawi and Salama al-Khufaji, arrived at the shrine on Thursday for a sit-in to demand a resolution of the crisis. — Sapa-AFP