Iraqi vice-President welcomes Sadr´s call

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Source: CCTV.com | 03-31-2008 14:51

The signing of the Damascus declaration offered little solace in neighboring Iraq.

Adel Abdel Mahdi, Iraqi Vice-President. (CCTV.com)

A fierce gun battle erupted Sunday, in the southern Iraqi oil city of Basra, marking renewed fighting between Mehdi army militants and Iraqi soldiers.

There are no casualty reports from the battle. Powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is asking his followers in the Mehdi Army to stop fighting government forces.

The Iraqi Vice-President welcomes the call but he adds, the government will not cede to demands for militia rule in any part of Iraq.

Mehdi army militants deployed in Basra streets, firing at soldiers.

Moqtada al-Sadr intervened -- asking followers to lay aside their weapons -- to halt the conflict as Iraq approaches the brink of even bloodier slaughter.

The Iraqi Vice-President welcomed Sadr's intervention.

The Vice President called the Sadrist movement part of the Iraqi fabric. He said last week's bloody confrontations should not be portrayed as a face-off between the two sides.

Adel Abdel Mahdi, Iraqi Vice-President, said, "The Sadrist movement is a respected group, represented by lawmakers. It is part of Iraqi life. In truth, this issue has been exaggerated. See what happened today with political powers and Sadr calling for a ban on weapons. Why do we need weapons in the first place?"

Sadr also urged people to cooperate with security forces and the government, to restore calm.

At the same time, he asked the government to cease detaining his followers and to implement an amnesty for current detainees.

Meanwhile, the capital, Baghdad is enduring an extended curfew. The restrictions on movement, imposed Thursday evening had been due to expire early Sunday morning.

Saturday night, the curfew was extended indefinitely.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei