Sadr Prepared To Accept U.N. Troops In Iraq

NAJAF, Iraq, Aug 14 (AFP) - Shiite rebel leader Moqtada Sadr is prepared to accept a UN force in Iraq, a spokesman said Saturday, as peace talks between the cleric`s militia and the government broke down in the holy city of Najaf.
"We prefer the UN to the (US-led) occupation forces, because Iraq is a member of the United Nations," Sheikh Ahmed al-Shaibani said.
"There is a big difference between the blue helmets (of UN troops) and the occupation troops."
Sadr is "ready to meet the UN representative if he requests (a meeting)," the spokesman added.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan`s special envoy to Iraq, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, arrived in Baghdad on Friday and held immediate talks with Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and President Ghazi al-Yawar.
The envoy reiterated UN calls for a peaceful settlement to fighting between US-backed Iraqi forces and Sadr`s militia in Najaf, a spokesman said, reading a statement.
Asked whether the United Nations was working to broker a peaceful solution to the Najaf fighting, the spokesman said only that the world body was ready to extend its good offices where they were welcome.