Rebel cleric backs down and accepts peace deal

Rebel Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr appeared to back down today and accepted a peace plan just as government forces were preparing to storm a holy shrine in Najaf where his gunmen are holed up.

A delegate to the Iraqi National Conference said al-Sadr has agreed to the plan that includes laying down arms and withdrawing his militia from the shrine

Al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army militia has been battling US and Iraqi forces in the holy city of Najaf for nearly two weeks.

On Tuesday, an eight man delegation from the conference travelled to Najaf to present a peace proposal to al-Sadr.

The proposal demanded the cleric’s militia drop its arms, withdraw from the Imam Ali Shrine where it has taken refuge and transform itself into a political party in exchange for amnesty.

Al-Sadr declined to meet the peace delegation so today Iraqi Defence Minister Hazem Shaalan said the government could raid the shrine within hours to push out the militants.

Bu tonight (local time) however, Safiya al-Suhail, an independent Shiite delegate at the conference, said she had received a letter from al-Sadr’s Baghdad office saying he was agreeing to the conditions.

“Muqtada al-Sadr has agreed on the conditions set by the National Conference,” she said reading the letter to the conference.

“We call on the Iraqi government and the National Conference to participate in implementing what is proposed by Muqtada al-Sadr, otherwise everybody will bear the responsibility,” the letter said.