BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi threw down the gauntlet to the rebel bastion of Fallujah, leaving little doubt that a military confrontation looms for the city.
His warning followed that of a senior US official to AFP that left no doubt the defiance of Fallujah, a thorn in the side of the American forces, would have to be resolved before the January elections.
Fallujah and its restive province of Al-Anbar are seen by Iraqi and US officials to hold the key for whether the Sunni Muslims join the next government, which will write Iraq`s permanent constitution, or wage war for years to come.
In a speech before Iraq`s interim parliament, Allawi made it clear the moment of truth was approaching for Fallujah.
Allawi called on the city to turn over the most-wanted man in Iraq, Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, held responsible for a wave of beheadings and devastating car bombings across Iraq, or face dire consequences.
"We have asked Fallujah residents to turn over Zarqawi and his group. If they don`t do it, we are ready for major operations in Fallujah," Allawi told Iraq`s 100-member interim parliament.
The Iraqi government and leaders from Fallujah have been in negotiations for weeks to bring the rebel enclave back into the fold, but talks have deadlocked over the status of Arab fighters who have made the city their base.
Allawi, who is struggling to restore law and order ahead of elections, said his last talks with Fallujah representatives took place two days ago.
A participant at those talks, Sheikh Abdul Hamid Jadu, confirmed the discussions had snagged over the issue of Arab fighters.
"We have been very disappointed by what happened in Fallujah and so are the members of the delegation, and we have asked them to put pressure on the armed groups," Allawi said.
"If nothing happens, we are not going to sit with our arms crossed," the prime minister said.
"We have an obligation to reestablish security and stability everywhere in Iraq so people can vote, and we hope to see Fallujah residents respond favourably to our appeal."
But a senior Allawi advisor, Imad Shibib, told AFP he thought it was doubtful that local Fallujah leaders could restrain the Arab fighters in their city.
Since a failed April offensive on insurgents, Fallujah has turned into a de facto fiefdom of foreign fighters and rebels that US ground forces have not dared to enter.
US air strikes have regularly targeted suspected militant hideouts in Fallujah belonging to Zarqawi to soften up targets in preparation for a potential offensive.
In mid-September, top coalition commanders said that not enough Iraqi forces, trained and combat ready for urban warfare, would be ready until December to capture Fallujah.
But with three major operations behind them in the past month -- Samarra and Tall Afar in the north and the Mahmudiyah region south of Baghdad --, US and Iraqi commanders are convinced their efforts to train an Iraqi fighting force are paying off.
Asked if they had the Iraqi numbers now for such a major battle, the senior American official said: "Probably," but added he would still defer to the judgement of the military command.
"Our basic approach is ... we will fight for the right of all Iraqis to vote. We are not looking at a bypass strategy," he said.
The official warned that leaving Al-Anbar province outside the law would only exacerbate the Sunni insurgency, marginalising the community further and sowing the seeds for protracted fighting.
"If you have any hope for Iraqis to eventually move away from armed conflict and take their differences inside a parliament, then you need all elements of Iraqi society represented inside that parliament.
"And right now, even if large numbers of Sunnis in Al-Anbar province, would wish to be part of an election, they would not have the choice."
The official doubted any diplomatic solution would resolve the problem. He pointed to Samarra as an example. US forces stormed the city October 1 after local Samarra leaders proved themselves unable to restrain the insurgency.