By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 10, 2004
Filed at 8:43 a.m. ET
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A U.S. general called on Sunni militants in Fallujah on Saturday to join a bilateral cease-fire. Insurgents struck U.S troops in Baghdad and central Iraq, setting a tank on fire in the capital and engaging in battles that killed 40 Iraqis, a U.S. spokesman said.
Sunni insurgents did not immediately respond to the general's call for Fallujah, where bloody fighting has been raging all week, but a team of Iraqi leaders entered the city to hold talks with local leaders. Marine commanders said they had no orders yet for a full cease-fire.
Explosions and sporadic gunfire were heard Saturday afternoon, and Marines largely remained in the industrial zone they hold in the eastern part of the city, 35 miles west of Baghdad.
Some Marines moved a few blocks into a nearby neighborhood, breaking into homes, witnesses said, in an apparent attempt to clear out gunmen firing on them.
``Today what we are seeking is a bilateral cease-fire on the battlefield so we can allow for discussions (in Fallujah),'' Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt told reporters in Baghdad. ``This is an aspiration.''
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Iraq.html?8bl