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Work for peace, pray for peace, demand peace from our government!
New Age Peace Songstress Snatam Kaur Khalsa
(source)
Take a cue from Snatam and put out positive vibes of peace and reconciliation for the planet.
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Officials Confirm Iran's Role in Brokering Truce Between Iraqi Government, Shiite Cleric
ALI AKBAR DAREINI
AP News (reported on Rawstory)
Apr 05, 2008 14:23 EST
Officials in Iran confirmed for the first time Saturday that the country played an important role in brokering a recent truce between the Iraqi government and anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Iran's shiite government helped end the clashes between Iraq government troops and al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia for the sake of Shiite unity, said a senior Iranian official who deals with Iraq.
"It is in Iran's best interests to see unity among Shiite factions," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki heads a Shiite-dominated government in Iraq, but has clashed with other Shiite factions in the country, including the one led by al-Sadr.
Al-Maliki sparked clashes with al-Sadr's Mahdi Army over a week ago when he sent government troops to Basra to crack down on Shiite militias. The fighting eased last Sunday after al-Sadr ordered his men off the streets and called on the Iraqi government to end its attacks.
The Iranian government helped broker the truce during high-level talks in Iran's holy city of Qom with Shiite Iraqi officials and senior supporters of al-Sadr, said a prominent Iraqi party official based in Tehran.
"Iran played a mediating role and helped ease things a lot," said the Iraqi official, also speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
"Given its influence over al-Sadr, Iran convinced the Sadrists to stop fighting," he said.
U.S. officials in Baghdad have acknowledged an Iranian role in the talks but also accuse Iran of providing much of the weaponry used during the recent fighting, including rocket salvos against the U.S.-controlled Green Zone in Baghdad. (For the full article, click here.)
