Anti-al Mahdi demo, comments from new Najaf governor скачать в хорошем качестве

Anti-al Mahdi demo, comments from new Najaf governor

(11 May 2004) 1. Various of the anti al-Sadr demonstrators carrying banners and pictures of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim and Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim 2. Various of demonstrators near house of Al-Sistani house, car carrying gunmen drives between them and the house 3. Demonstrators chanting 4. Set up shot of Adnan al-Zurufi, Najaf Governor SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Adnan al-Zurufi, Najaf Governor: "There is a chance for reconciliation to solve the matter of Muqtada al-Sadr on one condition which is that the Al Mahdi army is dissolved." 5. Other men in office 6. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Adnan al-Zurufi, Najaf Governor: "Security is very important to us. The legal process (proceedings against al-Sadr) will be delayed until after the transfer of power on condition the militias are disbanded and surrender their weapons. Local police will handle all security matter in Najaf''.' 7. Demonstrators in Najaf street STORYLINE: About 1,000 people, including a few women in black veils, marched through the streets of Najaf on Tuesday to urge radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his followers to leave the city, as called for by moderate Shiite leaders. Tensions rose as the marchers passed by al-Sadr's office. Fighters from his al-Mahdi Army took up position but there was no clash and the march continued without incident. The marchers also passed by the house of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani on Prophet's Street. The marchers carried portraits of al-Sistani, Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric, Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim, a member of Iraq's Governing Council and leader of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Republic of Iraq, a rival to al-Sadr's group and Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim, Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim's brother who was assassinated in a huge bomb blast last autumn. Meanwhile the new U.S.-appointed governor of Najaf offered to defer murder charges against al-Sadr if the young firebrand disbands his militia. Al-Sadr demanded that U.S. authorities ask him directly for talks. Adnan al-Zurufi, who was appointed last week, said he will ask the U.S.-led administration to delay legal proceedings against al-Sadr until after the Americans transfer power to a new Iraqi administration June 30. "The legal process will be delayed until after the transfer of power on condition the militias are disbanded and surrender their weapons," al-Zurufi told The Associated Press. "The local police will take over the security of the province." There was no comment on the offer from U.S. officials. Al-Sadr has been holed up in Najaf since early April after U.S. authorities announced an arrest warrant against him in connection with the April 2003 assassination of a moderate rival cleric in Najaf. His forces have clashed with U.S., British and other occupation forces across southern Iraq and in Baghdad since then. Five Iraqis were killed and 14 injured during fighting late Monday between U.S. troops and al-Sadr's militia in Najaf's twin city Kufa, hospital sources said. In a statement on Tuesday, al-Sadr said he was willing to tell his fighters to end the confrontation "if the occupation forces officially request negotiations, provided that they are just and honourable and under the supervision of religious authorities." Al-Sadr said that if occupation authorities refuse, then "it is the party that does not want peace." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...