Senior Iraqi Shi’ite cleric ‘Ali Al-Husseini A-Sistani has returned to Iraq after a three-week stay in the United Kingdom.
Iraqis’ hopes are high that the cleric will be able to put an end to the standoff in the holy city A-Najaf, where a holy shrine is being used as a safe haven for supporters of Muq’tada A-‘Sadr, a radical Shi’ite cleric.
He left Iraq shortly after the confrontation at the Imam ‘Ali mosque began.
A-Sistani, 73, arrived in Ba’sra on Wednesday after undergoing a procedure to unblock a coronary artery in London.
American and Iraqi forces are currently surrounding the Imam ‘Ali Mosque in A-Najaf, which is one of the holiest sites for the Shi’ite sect in Islam.
The mosque is thought to be the tomb of ‘Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad and the most revered Shi’ite figure.
A-‘Sadr has said he will lay down arms and hand the keys of the shrine to A-Sistani’s supporters, but this has not happened and negotiations have fallen through.
A-Sistani is considered a moderate cleric who, unlike his radical counterpart, has not called for military resistance against the Americans.
A-Sistani’s aides said the cleric plans to lead thousands of followers on a march to A-Najaf, and he also plans to announce an initiative to solve the crisis. According to the London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayyat, this initiative will propose that arms in A-Najaf be laid down, A-‘Sadr’s militias and American forces leave the city and that the security be placed in the hands of the Iraqi police. He wants the shrine to be administered by the Shi’ite trust or Waqf, and A-Najaf to be declared a protected city.