Mahdi Army digs in, hopes for peace deal
Sunday 15 August 2004, 23:56 Makka Time, 20:56 GMT
Al-Sadr's supporters are hoping for a last minute peace deal
In an exclusive interview with Aljazeera, a Muqtada al-Sadr spokesman says the Mahdi militia are prepared for any attack against Najaf, but are also ready to accept any peace intitiative.
Ahmad al-Shibani stressed that any peace move initiated by the interim government - which he branded as a proxy agent of the US occupation of Iraq - would be welcomed by al-Sadr.
"We want to stop the bloodshed, maintain the honour and integrity of the Iraqi people, and bring this crisis to an end," he told Aljazeera.
His comments came a few hours after the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior stated that US occupation forces supported by Iraqi national guardsmen will 'soon' begin a large-scale offensive on Najaf.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6AD83F50-A872-4FFC-95D0-1EE24A7963E9.htm