By NNN-KUNA
Baghdad : Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has expressed hope that the chief of Al-Mahdi Army militia, Muqtada Al-Sadr, would convert the militia into a socio-cultural institution.
Upon receiving Al-Sadr’s representative, Bahaa al-din al-Araji, on Saturday, the Iraqi president said he hoped to transform Mahdi Army militia into a socio-cultural institution for serving Iraq.
He promised to persuade the prime minister and the Americans of the necessity to comply by Al-Sadr’s decision and launch utility projects in deprived areas, such as the Baghdad suburban district of Sadr City, and to release those held by the Sadrists.
On his part, Al-Sadr’s representative reaffirmed his party’s commitment to restore law and order in the country. In a related development, the Iraqi Presidential Council held a meeting on Saturday and hailed Al-Sadr’s decision to halt military operations.