BAGHDAD, Iraq – Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who heads a militia feared by Iraq’s Sunnis, is considering a one-month unilateral cease-fire and may push his followers to rejoin the political process after a three-week boycott, officials close to him said Wednesday.
The issue is expected to come up at a meeting today in Najaf between al-Sadr and a delegation representing the seven Shiite groups that form the largest bloc in Iraq’s parliament, the Shiite officials said.
In perhaps an even more important session, the delegation will also sit down with the country’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
The visit is intended to allow the Shiite bloc to work out some of Iraq’s biggest political obstacles in front of al-Sistani, and to pressure al-Sadr to rein in his fighters and rejoin politics, participants said.
Until the walkout, al-Sadr’s faction had been an integral part of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s governing coalition. Cabinet ministers and legislators who belong to al-Sadr’s movement called the boycott after al-Maliki met with President Bush in Jordan three weeks ago. Al-Sadr’s militia and its offshoots have been increasingly blamed for sectarian attacks.
As violence rages across Baghdad and much of Iraq, a new coalition taking shape among Shiites, Kurds and one Sunni party is seen as a last-ditch effort to form a government across sectarian divisions. While al-Sadr’s movement would not be part of this coalition, such an alliance – which reportedly is supported by the Bush administration – might pressure the militant cleric to soften his stance.
Potential members of the coalition said they have been negotiating for two weeks and now want the blessing of al-Sistani, whose word many Shiites consider binding.
“We will inform al-Sistani about the latest developments and assure Muqtada al-Sadr that he will not be sidelined from the political process. We want him to change his mind and be a part of that process,” said Sami al-Askari, a member of the Dawa party.
Officials close to al-Sadr said they believe the firebrand cleric and his followers would turn a friendly ear to the coalition, out of fear of being sidelined in the future.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
