Iraq cleric's group ends parliament boycott

BAGHDAD, Jan 21 (Reuters) The political movement of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said it would end a two-month boycott of parliament today, signalling a smoothing of tensions with its Shi'ite allies in the US-backed government.

The Mehdi Army, a militia loyal to Sadr, has been identified by Washington as the biggest threat to security in Iraq and Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has been under pressure to crack down in it. His dependence on Sadr's political movement has made that difficult.

The Sadrists are a key ally of Maliki but announced a boycott late last year to press their demand for a withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and to protest against a meeting between Maliki and US President George W Bush.

The Sadrists held a joint news conference with members of the Shi'ite Alliance, to which the group belongs, to announce their return to parliament.

''Since there has been a response to our demands, we declare that we will attend the parliament today,'' said Bahaa al-Araji, a senior member of the Sadrist group.

Parliamentary speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashadani said all the parliamentary parties would form a committee to discuss the reasons for the boycott and resolve the issues.

''This is a new beginning,'' he told the news conference. ''We want to say to the world that an Iraqi solution for Iraqi problems is the key, and others must support these solutions.'' REUTERS DKA RN1503