At
least 18 U.S. occupation troops have been also killed since Sunday,
taking to 616 the number of troops killed since the start of the war
to occupy Iraq one year ago.
Already
burdened by a fierce Sunni resistance, a full revolt among the
country's 15 million-plus Shiites would spell disaster for the
U.S.-led occupation troops.
‘Public
Uprising’
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Shiites have put up fierce resistance to the occupation troops
(AFP)
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Sadr’s
Spokesman Qais Al-Khazali said Tuesday that fuming Shiites took to the
streets spontaneously, denying that Sadr had sparked the uprising.
“It
is a public uprising,” Khazali told a press conference, warning that
it would rage on until occupation troop withdraw from populated areas
and Iraqi prisoners are released.
“The
uprising will continue and we will not negotiate unless they fulfill
our demands, which are a withdrawal from populated areas and the
release of prisoners,” Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.
He
also read a statement from Sadr denouncing U.S. President George W.
Bush and the U.S.-led occupation.
“This
uprising shows that the Iraqi people are not satisfied with the
occupation and they will not accept oppression,” the statement said.
“I
direct my words to the great evil, (U.S. President George) Bush, and I
ask who is against democracy? Is it the one who is advocating peaceful
resistance or the one who is bombing the nation and shedding blood,”
he said.
Asked
if Sadr would resist if U.S. forces try to arrest him, Khazali
replied: “God forbid if this happens, Al-Sayed will win
martyrdom”.
Khazali
quoted Sadr as saying, “My fate will be (then) martyrdom”.
He
said the U.S. arrest warrant is “illegal” and Iraqi lawyers will
refute it.
Meanwhile,
an aide to Sadr said Tuesday that British forces and Shiites in Basra
struck a deal to avoid further deadly clashes.
“An
amicable agreement was concluded between the various parties in the
presence of a representative of occupation forces, under which only
the police will be responsible for security in the city,” Sheikh
Salem Adel Saleh told AFP.
‘Solidarity’
Shiites’
spiritual leader Sistani, in the meantime, voiced his solidarity with
Sadr, Aljazeera satellite channel quoted a close aide to the veteran
Shiite leader as saying.
Sistani
said “the demonstrators' demands are legitimate” and “condemns
acts waged by the occupation forces and pledges his support to the
families of the victims”, he said.
On
Monday, Sistani called on the demonstrators to display restraint and
calm.
“The
ayatollah has called on the (Shiite) demonstrators to remain calm, to
keep a cool head and allow the problem to be resolved through
negotiation,” an aide to Sistani said.
Sistani
has so far opposed any armed confrontation with the U.S.-led
occupation, opting instead for dialogue to end the occupation and
organize elections which will enable the Shiite majority, estimated at
55 to 65 percent of Iraq's 25 million people, to take power.
Distance
Meanwhile
the Dawa, the oldest Shiite party, distanced itself from the Shiite
rebellion, fearing it could run out of control and “jeopardize the
gains made by the Shiites”, who for the first in nearly a century
are represented at the highest level of government.
A
Dawa leader called for “respect of the law and public goods” and
underscored “the gravity of escalating violence” ahead of the
return of Iraqi sovereignty on June 30.
But
a senior official of the U.S.-appointed interim Governing Council on
Tuesday accused Sadr of “harming Iraq” and called on him to avoid
further bloodshed.
“There
is a radical force trying to harm the country, and this force has
become known to all, it includes Moqtada Sadr and the group around
him,” AFP quoted as saying Iyad Allawi, head of the council's
security committee.
“Moqtada
himself should maintain calm and stability,” he told a press
conference.
