Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Iran makes efforts to end Najaf standoff
By Atul Aneja
MANAMA, MAY 4. The broad contours of Iran's mediation to end the stand-off between the forces of a radical Shia cleric and U.S. troops in Najaf have emerged, with a high-ranking religious figure based in Iran announcing that he is engaged in talks.
An Iranian English newspaper, Iran Daily, has reported that representatives of Grand Ayatollah Kazem Hossein Haeri, an Iraqi cleric stationed in the Iranian city of Qom, are involved as mediators. The Ayatollah, the daily said, has authorised his office in Najaf to urge Moqtada Al Sadr, a firebrand Shia cleric who has led an uprising against the U.S. occupation, to find a peaceful solution to the crisis. The office was working through the Shia members of the U.S.-appointed Governing Council for Iraq and tribal leaders.
In Brussels, the visiting Iranian Foreign Minister, Kamal Kharazzi, said, "I believe the question of (Mr.) Moqtada Sadr has to be put in the hands of religious leaders in Najaf. They have established a committee and should be allowed to settle it.'' Mr. Kharrazi acknowledged that Iran had, "some contacts with (Mr.) Moqtada Sadr" and efforts in the past "to calm him down" had been partially successful.
U.S. troops currently surround the holy city of Najaf, which is revered by Shias across the globe, and where Mr. Al Sadr's Mehdi militia is well-entrenched. The Americans are wary of assaulting the city, fearing that any damage to the monuments there was likely to provoke a furious Iraqi response that would be hard to contain. The daily said the broad principles of a possible deal with the U.S. representatives have been identified. The Americans have been asked to accept the postponement of the trial of Mr. Al Sadr, who is wanted in connection with the murder of a rival cleric, Majid Al-Khoei. The trial, however, could proceed after June 30 when partial authority would have been handed over to an interim Iraqi government. Besides, the Mehdi militia should be allowed to become a political party that could participate in Iraq's national elections next year.
Analysts point out that in case Iran's mediation in Najaf proved successful, it could add substance to its on-going dialogue with Washington on Iraq, and enhance its profile in its Shia neighbourhood.
Copyright © 2004, The Hindu.