Iraqi Shi'ites Denounce U.S. 'Occupation'
Updated 7:32 PM ET April 22, 2003

By Saul Hudson

KERBALA, Iraq (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Shi'ite Muslims swarmed through Iraq's holy city of Kerbala in a pilgrimage marked by religious fervor and slogans demanding that U.S. troops get out of the country.

At the United Nations, France, a strong opponent of the war in Iraq, unexpectedly proposed the immediate suspension of economic sanctions against Baghdad, but said the U.N.-administered "oil-for-food" program should continue.

The Shi'ite pilgrimage in Kerbala contrasted with a warm reception given by Kurds in northern Iraq to retired Gen. Jay Garner, the U.S. administrator charged with rebuilding Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Beating their chests, slashing their foreheads and whipping themselves until they bled, Shi'ites, who make up about 60 percent of Iraq's population, streamed through Kerbala, 70 miles south of Baghdad, in the first such pilgrimage in more than a quarter century.

Shi'ite leaders say a million or more people may flock to Kerbala this week for the climax of the Arbaiin pilgrimage, which honors Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, who was killed in the city 13 centuries ago.

The last major celebration of Arbaiin in 1977, ended with Saddam's forces massacring Shi'ites on the roads to Kerbala.

Some pilgrims erupted in chants praising Islam and denouncing Israel and the United States, an ominous signal for Garner's reconstruction mission.

"Yes, yes to Islam, no to America, no to colonialism and no to occupation," chanted a crowd of men marching in Kerbala.

"We are against colonization and occupation, we have finished with one oppressive regime and don't want another, said a protester in Baghdad, Ahmed Abdel-Zahra.

SHI'ITE CLERIC DETAINED

U.S. troops detained and later released a senior Shi'ite Muslim cleric, Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mudaressi, leader of an Iraqi exile group, after he crossed the border from Iran to attend the pilgrimage in Kerbala. "He has been set free after strenuous efforts by clerics for his release," Shi'ite cleric Mohammad Baqer al-Mohri, told Reuters in Kuwait.

U.S. helicopters flew over the city but American Marines on the outskirts kept their distance, hoping to avoid friction.

"Our intention right now is to stay out of the way," said Maj. Michael Purcell, a Marine officer.

In northern Iraq, Garner, who helped the Kurds establish an autonomous region there after the 1991 Gulf War, held talks in the city of Dukan with Jalal Talabani, veteran leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, and Massoud Barzani, head of the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party.

Both said they supported creating a federal Iraqi state as envisioned by President Bush.

Garner also visited the university in Sulaimaniya, where crowds of cheering students showered him with flower petals. "We trust you in our future," read a poster in the crowd.

"I am very happy he is here. At least with the Americans we will no longer be afraid of chemicals and genocide," said Hiwa Abdullah, 30, a Kurdish professor teaching Arabic.

Saddam used chemical weapons against the Kurds in 1988, killing about 5,000.

The trip to the north was part of a four-day assessment by Garner of the impact of the war, which caused thousands of casualties, devastated several Iraqi cities and left many communities without power, water and other essential services.

FRANCE AGREES ON SUSPENDING SANCTIONS

At the United Nations, France's ambassador, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, said sanctions against Iraq should be suspended and the U.N. program that uses Iraqi oil revenues to pay for humanitarian aid should be changed to suit current needs.

"Being pragmatic, viewing first suspending these sanctions, we might be in a position to comply with the full lifting of the sanctions," French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin told reporters in Ankara, Turkey.

France's surprise move went halfway to meeting the demands of the United States, which wants the 12-year-old U.N. embargoes lifted completely so that Iraqi oil revenue can be used to pay for much of the country's reconstruction.

China appeared to be leaning toward the U.S. position and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in Vienna serious discussions were under way to get oil exports flowing.

Some members of the U.N. Security Council, notably Russia and France, have balked, arguing that Iraq must be certified free of weapons of mass destruction by U.N. inspectors before sanctions can be scrapped.

"We all want to know that there are no WMDs in Iraq and the only way to verify it is to have inspectors in Iraq to see for themselves and report back to the Security Council," said Russia's U.N. Ambassador Sergei Lavrov.

Bush sought to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq on March 20 by accusing Saddam of hiding chemical and biological weapons. No confirmed trace of such weapons has yet been found.

Hans Blix, chief of the U.N. inspection team, said his arms experts had the most credibility to declare the country safe and could be ready to return within weeks.

"We may not be the only ones in the world who have credibility, but I do think we have credibility for being objective and independent," said Blix.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer poured cold water on the idea of sending U.N. inspectors back to Iraq.

"We are looking forward, not backward. Saddam Hussein's regime is gone," Fleischer told reporters.