BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Influential Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr would dissolve his Mehdi Army militia if the United States starts withdrawing troops according to a set timetable, a spokesman said.


Sadr to disarm if U.S. withdraws on timetable
Sadr to disarm if U.S. withdraws on timetable. 04:43 AM EDT. By Wisam Mohammed. BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr would dissolve his Mehdi …

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The statement comes at a crucial point in talks between Baghdad and Washington over a new security pact that will provide a legal basis for U.S. troops to operate in Iraq when a United Nations mandate expires at the end of the year.

President George W. Bush has refused to set a firm timetable for withdrawing 144,000 American troops from Iraq, but spoke last month of a general "time horizon" for a pullout.

Iraqi negotiators have proposed a timetable that would see U.S. combat troops leave the country by October 2010, although Washington has not yet agreed to it, a senior Iraqi official said on Friday.

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Sadr to disarm if U.S. withdraws on timetable. By Wisam Mohammed 9 minutes ago. BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr would dissolve his Mehdi …

If agreed, the timetable would mean the Bush administration effectively adopting a schedule very close to that proposed by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who opposed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Sadr to disarm if U.S. withdraws on timetable Reuters
Aug 8, 2008 … BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr would dissolve his Mehdi Army militia if the United States starts withdrawing troops …

A ceasefire imposed by Sadr on his militia a year ago has been a major factor in a drop in violence in Iraq to four-year lows. Sadr, whose political movement controls 10 percent of seats in parliament, has long demanded U.S. troops leave Iraq.

"We feel there's a serious intention by the American forces for a withdrawal timetable at the very least," Sadr's spokesman Salah al-Ubaidi said before Friday prayers, when the cleric is to launch a new cultural wing of his movement.

"It should not be considered an end to the Mehdi army, but it's a halfway step to dissolving the Mehdi Army. If the U.S. began to implement a withdrawal timetable we shall complete the path to dissolution," Ubaidi said.

TIME HORIZONS

Iraqi government officials say an agreement is close on a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal. But the White House says it is too soon to say when it can pull out its forces, which have been in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.

Sadr to disarm if US withdraws on timetable World Reuters
Aug 8, 2008 … By Wisam Mohammed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr would dissolve his Mehdi Army militia if the United States starts …


The issue is politically sensitive in the United States ahead of the presidential election in November. Obama has pledged to withdraw all combat troops by mid-2010, while his Republican opponent John McCain refuses to set a date.

Sadr to disarm if US withdraws on timetable Reuters
Aug 8, 2008 … (Adds Iraqi position on US withdrawal, quotes) By Wisam Mohammed BAGHDAD, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Influential Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr …

The Iraqi proposal would see U.S. forces withdraw from the streets of Iraqi cities by the middle of next year and combat troops return home by October 2010. Some American support units could stay on for another few years, the senior official said.

"As of last night (the schedule) was one of the issues being discussed between the two sides. There is no agreement yet, but this is what the Iraqis are asking for," said the official who is close to the negotiations.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, in Beijing accompanying Bush, said no announcement on an agreement was imminent and it was too early to discuss the dates of a pullout.

"It's premature to say what the aspirational goals and time horizons are going to be. But we are continuing to work with them on our negotiations, on those issues," she said.

She cited Bush's earlier statement that any such goals would be

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