Hardline Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has reportedly refused to hold talks with Iraqi lawmakers who had travelled to Iran in a bid to end the clashes between Shiite militias and government troops.
Al-Sadr, who is believed to be in Iran, has insisted that the crisis could only be solved through a parliamentary initiative backed by president Jalal Talabani and speaker Mahmud Mashhadani. Shiite militiamen, mainly from Sadr's Mahdi Army, have fought fierce street battles with US and Iraqi forces since late March in Baghdad's Sadr City, the cleric's bastion in the capital. Baghdad says Iran is backing the Shiite militias, including al-Sadr's group.
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Cheney in surprise Baghdad visit ... Welle)
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