Fighting continued in Najaf; Chalabi talks of a conspiracy

Sheikh Qeis al-Khazali, one of the aides of the Shiite leader, Muqtada al-Sader, said that the higher leadership of al-Mahdi army announced the state of emergency and curfew as from Tuesday ( yesterday ) at 1 p.m. local time ( 10 GMT), until clashes are stopped in al-Najaf city.

Al-Khazali called on official employees not to join their works " because their work places will be attacked." He asked the Iraqi police and the national guards not to take part in the fighting against al-Mahdi army.

To this effect, al-Sader welcomed the call made by the UN secretary general Kofi Annan to end the clashes in Najaf city.

For his part, the chairman of the Iraqi National Congress party called for involving al-Sader supporters in the peace process. He said that al-Sader trend is widely accepted, representing what he described the " deprived " in Iraq.

In a meeting with al-Jazeera TV from Tehran, Chalabi said there is what he called a fabricated operation to chase the fighters of al-Mahdi army.

The Iranian minister of defense Ali Shamakhani denied in a similar statement to al-Jazeera any Iranian involvement in the confrontations taking place in Najaf. He rejected statements made by his Iraqi counterpart Hazem al-Shaalan who accused Tehran of backing the supporters of al-Sader by weapons.

Meanwhile, battles between army and units from the American forces and the Iraqi security forces in Najaf city entered their 6th day following the failure of the cease- fire efforts.

Strong explosions were heard in the heart of the city where al-Sader' s supporters are positioned and American helicopters flew in the airspace of the city and smoke lines were seen near the old cemetery.

In a measure that indicates an American escalation in the city, the American army called on the civilians to evacuate the area where the fighting is taking place.