OB Kenobi
06-16-2004, 10:57 AM
What's this? Bu$h backing down against al Sadr? The guy he called a murderer, thug and a terrorist? I thought al Sadr was just a little snot-nosed Mullah? He doesn't even have his own country. Ok Bu$h fans, let's hear your excuse for this one...
Bush Says U.S. Will Not Block Sadr Political Role
By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (*******) - President Bush said on Tuesday the United States would not oppose a political role in Iraq for Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the fiery radical Bush branded an anti-democratic thug just last month.
Bush said that would demonstrate the United States intends to respect the independence of the new Iraqi government that is to assume power on June 30.
"The interim Iraqi government will deal with al-Sadr in the way they see fit," Bush said at a Rose Garden press conference.
Bush spoke after interim Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawar welcomed Sadr, the leader of a Shi'ite insurgency, to participate as a political leader in elections expected next January.
"They're sovereign," Bush said. "When we say we transfer full sovereignty, we mean we transfer full sovereignty. And they will deal with him appropriately."
U.S. authorities vowed to capture or kill Sadr earlier this spring, after he and his Mehdi Army militia launched an uprising against American-led occupation troops.
Sadr, religious leader for Baghdad's impoverished Shi'ite community, later agreed to a truce in Najaf and Kerbala under pressure from other Shi'ite religious leaders appalled by fighting near holy shrines.
The U.S.-led administration in Iraq has maintained Sadr must surrender to an Iraqi arrest warrant in connection with the murder of a rival cleric in Najaf last year and is reluctant to see him take a leading role in Iraqi politics.
But Yawar said the young cleric was innocent until proven guilty and could enter Iraqi politics as soon as he disbands his militia, which is believed to number several thousand.
On May 5, Bush told al Arabiya television that Sadr's militia was among those willing to "kill, intimidate and try to take matters into their own hands, which is not the way democracy functions."
"Free societies do not allow thugs to roam streets and hold people hostage to their whims. The Iraqis will deal with Mr. Sadr," Bush said. (Additional reporting by Caren Bohan)
Bush Says U.S. Will Not Block Sadr Political Role
By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (*******) - President Bush said on Tuesday the United States would not oppose a political role in Iraq for Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the fiery radical Bush branded an anti-democratic thug just last month.
Bush said that would demonstrate the United States intends to respect the independence of the new Iraqi government that is to assume power on June 30.
"The interim Iraqi government will deal with al-Sadr in the way they see fit," Bush said at a Rose Garden press conference.
Bush spoke after interim Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawar welcomed Sadr, the leader of a Shi'ite insurgency, to participate as a political leader in elections expected next January.
"They're sovereign," Bush said. "When we say we transfer full sovereignty, we mean we transfer full sovereignty. And they will deal with him appropriately."
U.S. authorities vowed to capture or kill Sadr earlier this spring, after he and his Mehdi Army militia launched an uprising against American-led occupation troops.
Sadr, religious leader for Baghdad's impoverished Shi'ite community, later agreed to a truce in Najaf and Kerbala under pressure from other Shi'ite religious leaders appalled by fighting near holy shrines.
The U.S.-led administration in Iraq has maintained Sadr must surrender to an Iraqi arrest warrant in connection with the murder of a rival cleric in Najaf last year and is reluctant to see him take a leading role in Iraqi politics.
But Yawar said the young cleric was innocent until proven guilty and could enter Iraqi politics as soon as he disbands his militia, which is believed to number several thousand.
On May 5, Bush told al Arabiya television that Sadr's militia was among those willing to "kill, intimidate and try to take matters into their own hands, which is not the way democracy functions."
"Free societies do not allow thugs to roam streets and hold people hostage to their whims. The Iraqis will deal with Mr. Sadr," Bush said. (Additional reporting by Caren Bohan)