SOFIA, April 18: A spokesman for radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr called for the sending of UN peacekeeping troops to Iraq and demanded the immediate withdrawal of US-led occupation forces, in an interview with Bulgarian television broadcast Sunday.

"It is in the interest of the whole world to send peacekeeping forces under the UN flag" to Iraq, said Qais al-Khazaali, spokesman for Sadr's Mehdi Army militia. But "the occupation forces must withdraw from the occupied regions and must release political prisoners.

The war will thus end," he said. "If the Americans continue to act on the ground," the war "in Vietnam will appear easy and simple" compared with what awaits them in Iraq. Khazali warned US forces against occupying the Shiite holy city of Najaf, where Sadr is staying.

"The resistance and the current rebellion by our people against the occupation force is weak and insignificant compared with what will happen in the event of an attack against Najaf. A direct confrontation with American people will follow."

"Seven Shiite leaders have agreed not to allow a violation of the holy character of Najaf and Karbala," he said. Baghdad, the Shiite Dawa party said on Sunday its representatives held a "positive" meeting with the US-led coalition to revive a stalled mediation for a peaceful resolution of the standoff with Sadr in Najaf and Karbala.

"We met (US overseer Paul) Bremer. We feel that this contact was positive and that the coalition is prepared to resolve the crisis peacefully," said Adnan Ali al-Kazem, an aide to Dawa party chief Ibrahim Jaafari. -AFP