Al-Sader gives up his conditions; occupation enhances its forces in al-Najaf
Iraq-Italy, Politics, 4/15/2004

A spokesman for the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sader said that a progress was attained in the current negotiations between the American forces and al-Sader supporters.

Qeis al-Khaz'ali said that al-Sader gave up all his conditions in the negotiations with the occupation forces and put himself under the disposal of the Shiite cleric in al-Najaf.

In a statement to al-Jazeera TV, al-Khaz'ali said that al-Sader agreed to give up all his conditions in preparations to join the elections, noting that this agreement was reached according to a visit by the Shiite cleric.

The prominent Shiite cleric Ayatullah Kazem al-Husseini al-Haeiri warned the American forces against breaking into al-Najaf. In a statement, he said such an act will bring in unlimited anger to them, calling these forces to quit what he had described the language of weapons and fire.

Despite al-Sader's initiative and warnings made by the Shiite Scholars, the American forces deployed around al-Najaf continued reinforcement of its forces there in preparations to carry out an attack against the city with the aim to detain al-Sader or kill him in case he refuses to surrender himself.

An American force of 350 troops are deployed at the outskirts of al-Najaf city where al-Sader lives to start operations against al-Mahdi army militias which affiliates to him.

Chairman of the American joint army Gen. Richard Meyers who is visiting the region said that al-Sader should be detained despite temporary feelings of anger.

Meyers arrived yesterday arrived in Talil air base of the multinational forces near al-Nasereyah southern Iraq in an undeclared visit to his forces in Iraq.

In al-Kout to the south of Baghdad, one Iraqi was killed after he was strongly wounded as the American soldiers attacked him by sticks because he refused to remove Muqtada al-Sader picture from his car.

In the besieged Falouja, Iraqi medical sources said that five Iraqis were killed and other three wounded in clashes between the occupation forces and armed Iraqis. The clashes were made despite extending the truce between the two sides for 48 hours as from yesterday morning in order to re-open the city's hospitals.

News reports said that violent confrontations took place on Tuesday between the American forces and unidentified persons in al-Karma city to the east of Falouja resulted in casualties among the Iraqi civilians as well as destroying totally Tareq Hamad al-Abdullah mosque and damaging several adjoining houses.

In other developments, one American military helicopter was downed in al-Amin area, to the south of al-Qaem city near the Iraqi- Syrian borders, following clashes between armed Iraqis and the occupation forces, according to witnesses.

The American occupation forces announced the killing of 4 marines in al-Anbar province to the west of Baghdad in the two past days.

In Musil, four Iraqis were killed and other 6 wounded as one mortar shelling dropped at a public market in the city, according to Iraqi police official. With the continued deterioration of security conditions in Iraq, the secretary general of the UN Kofi Annan ruled out sending a large UN mission to Iraq under the current conditions, noting that the absence of security obstructs the efforts of the local team in Iraq chaired by al-Akdar al-Ibraheimi.

Previous Stories:
  Italian parliamentarian confers with Iraqi minister   (2/2/2002)
  Italian, Ukraine planes arrived in Baghdad   (12/4/2000)
  Iraq and the UN sanctions   (6/29/2000)

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