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Najaf's keys handed over
20/08/2004 20:49 - (SA)
London - Militiamen loyal to Shiite radical leader Moqtada Sadr handed the keys of Najaf's Imam Ali shrine to representatives of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on Friday, said a spokesperson for the top Shiite cleric.
"The keys were handed to the office (in Najaf)," said Sistani spokesperson Sayed Murtadha al-Kashmiri in London where the cleric has been receiving medical treatment.
Earlier on Friday, a spokesperson for Sadr said Sistani had agreed to take the keys of the shrine, paving the way for a resolution to the bloody 16-day standoff with US-led forces in the central Iraqi holy city.
"We went to Sistani's office this morning to agree on giving up the keys to the mausoleum.
His office called Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in London, who agreed to take the keys," said Sheikh Ahmed al-Shaibani in Baghdad.
"The visitors, human shields and militiamen will then leave the shrine," he added.
Sadr has repeatedly baulked at demands from Iraq's US-backed caretaker government that he hand control of the mosque compound to Iraqi police.
Ceding control to the Shiite religious hierarchy offers him a face-saving way out.
Despite a reputation for moderation that has won plaudits from the United States-led coalition, Sistani still commands enormous respect among Iraqi Shiites from across the political spectrum.
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