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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Al-Sadr calls for countrywide ceasefire |
| 2004-08-31 |
| Another sign that Sadr is suffering from the major ass kicking he received. An aide to Muqtada al-Sadr says the Shia cleric has called on his militia to cease all fighting against U.S. and Iraqi forces. "[He] has called for a halting of all military operations in Iraq, and we are studying the idea of joining the political process," said Naim Al-Kaabi, an al-Sadr aide in Baghdad. Will there be a convention? What will the party's name be? Al-Sadr called on all his followers to lay down their arms unless in self-defence, the aide said, adding they should be patient until the political program is revealed. "This latest initiative shows that we want stability and security in this country by ending all confrontation in all parts of Iraq," said Sheik Raed al-Khadami, al-Sadr's spokesperson in Baghdad. [Not from Scrappleface!] He said al-Sadr's office in Najaf will call within the next two days to join the political process. A peace deal was reached on Friday ending three weeks of fighting between Sadr's militia and American and Iraqi forces in the Iraqi city of Najaf, but Monday's announcement was aimed at halting the fighting that has spread to other Shia communities. The government of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi has demanded al-Sadr disband the Mahdi Army and join the political process. |
| Posted by:Rafael |
| #8 Dammit! I paid big money for last drop of blood and mean to see it. Who's tater boys' agent? He'll never work in this town again. |
| Posted by: Louis Metro Shipman 2004-08-31 6:03:26 PM |
| #7 Isn't the perpetration of an asassination just a resume bullet for an Arab politician? |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-08-31 3:56:26 PM |
| #6 Through the political process, Sadr will have the same impact as Jessie Jackson, ie: not much - but enough to satisfy him and his band of disenchanted, that they are doing something to achieve their goals WITHIN the system. I wouldn't count on that. Were this to play out as you speculate, what do you think Sadr would do if he was convinced that he had, in effect, become marginalized? I'd say that the "Mahdi Army" would be making another appearance. ..and there is nothing stopping the Iraqi’s from trying him for his murders in their own sweet time. If they're going to take their sweet time about it, then it's not going to mean anything, assuming that it happens at all. The guy has to be in custody, something that he is not. And if the guy really is nothing more than a criminal, why is he being courted to be "part of the political process", and not simply arrested with the intent of prosecuting him for his crimes? |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-08-31 11:36:18 AM |
| #5 B has a good point about "own sweet time" I can see good reasons for waiting for an ELECTED govt before putting Sadr on trial, though he will undoubtedly use whatever political capital he has to avoid said trial. Although that leaves him that much less political capital for other things. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-08-31 10:24:18 AM |
| #4 Perhaps they're just sick of getting planted and are going to ground until the day the US withdraws. |
| Posted by: eLarson 2004-08-31 9:58:49 AM |
| #3 oh… and there is nothing stopping the Iraqi’s from trying him for his murders in their own sweet time. |
| Posted by: B 2004-08-31 8:39:49 AM |
| #2 I think this is great. If Sadr joins the political process, he will give attention and a sense of purpose to the losers extraordinaire. Through the political process, Sadr will have the same impact as Jessie Jackson, ie: not much - but enough to satisfy him and his band of disenchanted, that they are doing something to achieve their goals WITHIN the system. While it seems distasteful, it actually would be a good result. |
| Posted by: B 2004-08-31 8:20:23 AM |
| #1 The government of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi has demanded al-Sadr disband the Mahdi Army and join the political process. Hopefully the first steps of joining the 'political process' will involve arraignment and trial for Sadr? |
| Posted by: badanov 2004-08-31 8:14:51 AM |