.Hardline Sunni Cleric Willing to Meet
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - A prominent hardline Iraqi Sunni cleric said Friday he was willing to meet with top Shiite religious leaders to end sectarian violence and help move Iraq out of its internal crisis.
"We are ready to meet anybody who is sincere, and desires good things for Iraq and for Iraqis, in particular the supreme religious leadership in Iraq," Harith al-Dhari, leader of the Association of Muslim Scholars, said on Al-Jazeera television.
By supreme religious leadership, al-Dhari was apparently referring to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most prominent Shiite cleric.
Al-Dhari, who spoke from Amman, Jordan, blamed the U.S. military presence for contributing to insecurity and worsening tensions between Sunnis and Shiites. Violence between the two Muslim communities surged after the Feb. 22 bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra.
Al-Dhari also blamed the crisis on "several" unidentified parties "working under the umbrella of the occupation to sabotage and destroy, driven by internal and external agendas."
Sunni politician Saleh al-Mutlaq described al-Dhari's comments as "a great initiative" and expressed hope that Shiite religious leaders would respond.
"Making concessions today is better than being stubborn and watching the country go down the drain," al-Mutlaq told The Associated Press by telephone from Amman.
"We said before that everybody should make concessions," he added. "I believe that this initiative deserves to be considered and accepted by the other party. This compromise is also a sacrifice. Iraqis and Iraq need to stop the bloodshed."
MyWay
They seem to finally see the writing on the wall.
"We are ready to meet anybody who is sincere, and desires good things for Iraq and for Iraqis, in particular the supreme religious leadership in Iraq," Harith al-Dhari, leader of the Association of Muslim Scholars, said on Al-Jazeera television.
By supreme religious leadership, al-Dhari was apparently referring to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most prominent Shiite cleric.
Al-Dhari, who spoke from Amman, Jordan, blamed the U.S. military presence for contributing to insecurity and worsening tensions between Sunnis and Shiites. Violence between the two Muslim communities surged after the Feb. 22 bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra.
Al-Dhari also blamed the crisis on "several" unidentified parties "working under the umbrella of the occupation to sabotage and destroy, driven by internal and external agendas."
Sunni politician Saleh al-Mutlaq described al-Dhari's comments as "a great initiative" and expressed hope that Shiite religious leaders would respond.
"Making concessions today is better than being stubborn and watching the country go down the drain," al-Mutlaq told The Associated Press by telephone from Amman.
"We said before that everybody should make concessions," he added. "I believe that this initiative deserves to be considered and accepted by the other party. This compromise is also a sacrifice. Iraqis and Iraq need to stop the bloodshed."
MyWay
They seem to finally see the writing on the wall.
posted by madtom at 10:28 PM
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