By Saadon al-Jaberi

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20 April 2007 (Azzaman)Grand Aytollah Ali Sistani has forbidden the killing of Muslims in Iraq and has urged the government to disarm all militia groups in the country.

Sistani, Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, made the call in a meeting which grouped both Muslim Shiite and Sunni clergy from the provinces of Baghdad, Basra, Diyala, Tikreet, Ramadi, Kirkuk and the Kurdish region.

The visit was to explore ways of ending the current sectarian strife in the country and methods to bring about national reconciliation.

“We have come to visit (Sistani) to back the project of national reconciliation … Sistani has forbidden the shedding of blood of all Muslims and reiterated the necessity of the state being the sole possessor of arms in Iraq,” said Sheikh Mohammed Talabani, a Sunni cleric and head of the delegation.

Ali Khafaji, another cleric in the delegation, said the visit was to demonstrate to the Iraqi people that both Shiite and Sunni clergy were against the shedding of Muslim blood.

“The visit was to spread the spirit of love among the sons of one nation and put an end to discord and confront those sowing it,” he said. IraqUpdates

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