Al-Sadr agrees to the Pope's mediation in Najaf

Aljazeera.Net reports on the Vatican's willingness to mediate between Muqtada al-Sadr and the occupation forces.

The Vatican confirmed that Pope John Paul II is ready to mediate between Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr and US-led occupation forces.

A spokesman for al-Sadr, whose forces are locked in an intense battle inside the city with US-led troops, has already welcomed the proposal.

But Vatican spokesman Ciro Benedettini told journalists on Tuesday the Pope was only willing to mediate if requested to do so by both sides in the conflict.