Sunday, March 30, 2008
Muqtada rising
Sure looks like it. He has just called for a stand down of his militia after Maliki's government troops were unable to defeat him. Even worse for Maliki, who is often viewed in Iraq as a Nouri-come-lately supported by Iran and the US, Muqtada managed to burnish his nationalist cred by calling for an end to Iraqi on Iraqi violence and a united front against the invaders.
After failing to break the resistance of Shiite militias in the five-day siege of oil rich Basra, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki sent a top general to hold talks with his Shiite rival, Muqtada al Sadr, Saturday night only to be rebuffed by the firebrand cleric, an Iraqi official close to the negotiations said.After all these years, poor Maliki should have known better than to listen to Cheney. And now the weakness of his position has been shown to all, which may be a good thing for Iraq.
The circumstances in which the negotiations with Sadr took place suggested the government is no longer able to dictate the terms of an agreement with Sadr but now must seek a deal. General Hussein al Assadi, a Baghdad-based commander, traveled to Najaf to call on the head of Sadr's political bureau there, Lewaa Smaisam. From his office, the two men telephoned Sadr, who is believed to be in Iran, where he is studying religion. But they could not reach agreement,
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