Militia Still In Control Of Shrine In Najaf: AFP Correspondent

NAJAF, Iraq, Aug 20 (AFP) - Shiite Muslim militiamen were still holed up in Najaf`s revered shrine late Friday, with no Iraqi police in sight despite government reports to the contrary, said an AFP correspodent at the mosque.
The doors of the Imam Ali mausoleum were locked at around 5:30 pm (1330 GMT) to show the goodwill of the militia in returning control of the holy pilgrimage centre to Iraq`s highest Shiite authority, a militiaman, Abu Mustafa, told AFP.
Many militiamen and supporters of radical cleric Moqtada Sadr partisans were in the courtyard of the building.
Sporadic exchanges of fire between US troops and Sadr`s Mehdi Army echoed through the southern part of the city, said another AFP correspondent.
Mortar shells were also fired.
In Baghdad, a spokesman for the interim government said earlier Iraqi police had arrested some 400 militiamen at the Imam Ali shrine.
"Iraqi police entered the shrine in Najaf city and all armed militia were evicted," said the spokesman, who asked not to be named.
"About 400 people were arrested, but the Iraqi police could not get hold of Moqtada Sadr."
Interior ministry spokesman Sabah Kadhim for his part told CNN that 500 militiamen "in poor condition" were prepared to surrender without a shot being fired and "were escorted from the shrine".
Asked where Sadr was, Kadhim replied, "It`s possible that he may have escaped overnight."
"We ask him and his asssistants to surrender, in order to be covered by the amnesty and also if he wants to enter the political arena," he added.
Earlier, Sadr spokesman Sheikh Ahmed al-Shaibani said the Mehdi Army was to leave the shrine after handing over the keys under an agreement with revered Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
"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," Sheikh Ahmed al-Shaibani told AFP.
"A delegation from Sistani`s office must come to the mausoleum and we will give them the keys," he added.
"The visitors, human shields and militiamen will then leave the shrine and its doors will be closed," he said, without giving a timeframe.
An official from Sistani`s office confirmed the meeting had taken place, but refused to comment further.
Sistani himself, the highest Shiite Muslim authority, is currently in London recovering from a heart operation.