Iraq cleric's group ends parliament boycott
Source: Reuters
(Adds quotes) BAGHDAD, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The political movement of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said it would end a two-month boycott of parliament on Sunday, signalling a smoothing of tensions with its Shi'ite allies in the U.S.-backed government. The Mehdi Army, a militia loyal to Sadr, has been identified by Washington as the biggest threat to security in Iraq and Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has been under pressure to crack down in it. His dependence on Sadr's political movement has made that difficult. The Sadrists are a key ally of Maliki but announced a boycott late last year to press their demand for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and to protest against a meeting between Maliki and U.S. President George W. Bush. The Sadrists held a joint news conference with members of the Shi'ite Alliance, to which the group belongs, to announce their return to parliament. "Since there has been a response to our demands, we declare that we will attend parliament today," said Bahaa al-Araji, a senior member of the Sadrist group. Parliamentary speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashadani said all the parliamentary parties would form a committee to discuss the reasons for the boycott and resolve the issues. "This is a new beginning," he told the news conference. "We want to say to the world that an Iraqi solution for Iraqi problems is the key, and others must support these solutions."
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