BAGHDAD, May 10: Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s movement and the Iraqi government struck a deal to end weeks of fighting in Baghdad, officials said on Saturday as 13 more people were killed overnight.

Sheikh Salah al-Obeidi, spokesman for the cleric’s office in the central shrine city of Najaf, said the deal to end the fighting in the movement’s east Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City would be effective from Sunday.

“We will stop the fire, stop displaying arms in public and open all the roads leading to Sadr City,” Obeidi said.

“This agreement will be executed from Sunday. The Sadr movement has agreed to the contents of the deal and it has now become an official document.” Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh declined to spell out details.

“I can’t say anything — we will make an announcement soon about the agreement,” he said.

Obeidi, who took part in the negotiations that led to the deal being clinched in Baghdad, said the two sides had reached agreement on most issues.

“The two groups agreed on 10 of the 14 points discussed. The agreed points do not include disbanding Jaish al-Mahdi,” he said, referring to Sadr’s feared Mahdi Army militia.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, whose government is dominated by Shias, wants to disband Sadr’s militia before October provincial elections.

The Sadr movement says it needs its weapons for self-defence until other groups nurtured by the US military and the Baghdad government are also disarmed.

“The agreement stipulates that the government’s security forces have the right to make raids and searches (in Sadr City) for those who are wanted, but by following the principles of human rights,” Obeidi said.

The Sadr movement has repeatedly accused the security forces of randomly arresting its leaders.

An official from the United Iraqi Alliance that leads the ruling coalition, confirmed the agreement saying that Iraqi forces “will be allowed inside Sadr City to nab the wanted.” Meanwhile, military officials said that Iraqi soldiers backed by US troops began a “new phase” in the army’s operations against Al Qaeda in Iraq in the northern province of Nineveh which shares borders with Syria and Turkey.—AFP