Al-Sader agrees to receive two delegations for mediation

The Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sader agreed to receive the UN delegation led by the representative of the UN secretary general in Iraq, Ashraf Qadi, and the delegation of the Iraqi national congress in order to discuss means of ending the clashes in Najaf city.

One of al-Sader's aides, Sheikh Ahmad al-Sheibani, said that al-Sader is ready for negotiations over converting al-Mahdi army into a political organization but he rejects the principle of the army members to drop their weapons which he had described as personal. He also stressed that al-Mahdi army members do not get wages.

This, however, came after the national congress which resumed its sessions yesterday approved a memorandum of requests prepared by the chairman of the reconciliation committee, Hussein al-Sader, and the delegation of the conference will be conveyed to Muqtada al-Sader.

Among the demands are converting al-Mahdi army to a political organization, and al-Sader and his supporters to leave the " Haidari courtyard" in Najaf city but without leaving the city itself. The demands also include inviting Muqtada al-Sader to take part in the political process in Iraq.

Meantime, an American military spokesman said that three American soldiers were killed on Sunday in clashes in Najaf city with members of al-Mahdi army.

Frequent clashes erupted between the Iraqi forces which were supported by the American forces and al-Mahdi army, and fire exchange was heard in the old part of Najaf.

In Baqouba, two Iraqis were killed and other six injured as a result of missile shelling that fell on one residential area in the city which is situated to the north of Baghdad yesterday morning.

Three members of the Iraqi national guards were injured following a bomb explosion that targeted their patrol to the south of the city. This was followed by an attack by machine guns and a chase between unidentified gunmen who were riding a sedan car and a patrol for the Iraqi national guards.

Also, members of the political bureau of the Hizbullah party in Iraq Ali al-Ghreifi said that several police men supported by unidentified civilians broke on Sunday evening into the headquarters of the party in Baghdad and detained its secretary general Hassan al-Sari and three members of the Iraqi national congress who came from the governorates while visiting the headquarters of the party.

News reports in al-Nasereyah said that one journalist carrying the American nationality and his French translator were kidnapped yesterday morning by unidentified persons. News reports said that the journalist ( Mega Garen ) is specialized in antiquities and is recruited by " For Media Corner " establishment. In al-Samawa city to the south of Iraq, the first batch of the Japanese forces arrived to replace the forces sent there earlier this year. This batch is composed of 140 soldiers and will stay in the city for three months during which it will work on humanitarian projects. Other members of the forces, tolled 360 soldiers, will arrive before the end of the current month, August.