Maliki delaying peace, Sadrists say

BAGHDAD, May 2 (UPI) -- A spokesman for Moqtada Sadr's political party said Friday the government of Iraq failed to respond to a parliamentary initiative for a cease-fire

Salah al-Obeidi, the spokesman for the Sadrist Movement, said his office had not yet received an official response from the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on a parliamentary initiative to put a halt to fighting in Sadr City, Voices of Iraq reported.

Obeidi also noted Sadr did not allow his representatives in Iran to met with a high-level delegation dispatched to discuss reconciliation with the Maliki government, adding those measures are best considered by the Iraqi parliament.

"Sadr insists that the crisis can be solved only through an initiative from parliament which has been backed by President Jalal Talabani and Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani," the spokesman said.

He also denied allegations in The New York Times that Sadr was in Iran.

Meanwhile, Maliki called on the residents of Sadr City to cooperate with Iraqi national forces, saying citizens "never gained from the monopoly of the outlaws" as a delegation of Iraqi lawmakers convened in the Baghdad suburb to protest the security crackdown there.