NAJAF, Iraq, March 30 (Reuters) - Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on his armed followers on Sunday to leave the streets and stop battling government forces in Basra and other southern towns.

"Because of the religious responsibility, and to stop Iraqi blood being shed ... we call for an end to armed appearances in Basra and all other provinces," Sadr said in a statement given to journalists by his aides. "Anyone carrying a weapon and targeting government institutions will not be one of us."

(Reporting by Khaled Farhan; writing by Peter Graff; editing by Ross Colvin)

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