IRAQI GOVERNMENT ENVOY REJECTED BY AL-SADR AS "BATTLE FOR BASRA:" CONTINUES

The Iraqi Army is sputtering and can't handle the uprising in Basra, and now comes word that the Iraqi government's envoy was rejected by militia rebel Moqtada al-Sadr when he tried to meet with the cleric to talk about a ceasefire.

President Bush had praised the Iraqi Army on Thursday, but now it appears the Iraqi Army can't handle the task of stopping the violence in Basra, Iraq and the U.S. military has been called in to try and bring some kind of peace to the second largest city in Iraq.

On Thursday, Bush had said the Iraqi Army initiative in Basra was a "positive moment," but by Friday Bush had backed away from his flowery language and was calling the Battle for Basra a "defining moment."

Sadr rebuffs Iraq government envoy as offensive sputters

Leila Fadel McClatchy Newspapers
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/32013.html

BAGHDAD - 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.

Maliki denounced Shia militants in Basra as the equivalent of Al Qaida, and Sadr told his supporters not to hand over their arms to a puppet state of the United States.

The diplomatic initiative and the harsh rebuff further eroded expectations for a successful outcome to the offensive, which Maliki is personally directing from the presidential palace in the southern port city. It was not the only sign of problems.

Maliki issued orders Friday to enlist volunteers for the battle against the Shiite militias, and his Dawa party sought to enlist fighters. The U.S. military raised its profile in Basra still further, providing protection for installations including the palace where Maliki is housed, Iraqi Interior Ministry officials said.

There were more U.S. air strikes in the Sadrist stronghold of Sadr City, and local officials said U.S. forces joined Iraqi security forces in clashes against Sadrists lasting hours south of Hilla, which lies south of Baghdad. Meanwhile, Sadr's Mahdi Army militia went door to door in Sadr City with a list of those employed by government security services, demanding that they not report to their jobs, local residents said.

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, an official close to the negotiations said. He would not give his name due to the sensitivity of the subject.