74 Iraqis killed in al-Koufa, Allawi calls for peace; al-Seistani negotiates with al-Sader in Najaf

The Supreme Shiite clergy in Iraq Ayatullah Ali al-Seistani yesterday arrived in Najaf city in an attempt to establish peace.

Al-Seistani who is just arriving from London after a heart surgery entered al-Saad quarters to the east of the old city when fire ceased and he immediately started talks with the representatives of the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sader to discuss means of ending the crisis.

The director of the Shiite Clergy office Hamid al-Khaffaf called on the supporters of al-Seistani not to enter Najaf before the beginning of the peace talks.

Khaffaf said that scores of thousands of al-Seistani supporters who joined his march from Basra to Najaf should stay out of the city.

Witnesses stressed that masses entered the shrine of Imam Ali whose doors were re-opened and a large number of people walked in al-Rasoul street and entered via the southern door of the Shrine.

American and Iraqi forces have been cordoning since several days the shrine of Imam Ali.

These developments came while the Iraqi ministry of health announced that some 74 persons were killed and hundreds were injured following the fall of several mortars shelling at the main mosque of Koufa which was crowded by hundreds of al-Sader and al-Seistani supporters.

The supporters of al-Sader accused the American forces of bombarding the mosque where al-Sader often delivers Friday sermons.

However, one American military spokesman denied that the American army has a relations with the explosion against al-Koufa mosque or opening fire at demonstrators in the city.

Meantime, news reports said that scores among those who joined al-Seistani march, and arriving from several Iraqi cities, were injured by the bullets of the Iraqi national guards near al-Andalus military base between Koufa and Najaf.

Prior to al-Seistani entering Najaf, the Iraqi interim prime minister Eyad Allawi extended what he called the last peace call for the supporters of the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sader who is fortifying in Najaf.

Allawi repeated the demands of the interim government from al-Mahdi army for handing over their weapons and leaving al-Haidari courtyard.

He also vowed to ensure the security of Muqtada al-Sader saying that the government will " ensure a secure passage if he chooses halting the armed conflict." Allawi also sought to make assurances to fighters of Muqtada al-Sader by asserting that the Iraqi forces " will ensure them the means to hand over their weapons and leave al-Haidari courtyard in peace."

Meantime, the Italian foreign minister Franco Frateini said that his country will not withdraw its forces unless the interim Iraqi government asks it for that. He explained in a meeting with al-Jazeera that Italy can not respond to the demands of the kidnappers of the Italian journalist Enzo Baldouni, whose family appealed his kidnappers to release, but was later killed.