Iraq Council Members in Talks with Rebel Cleric

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Iraq Council Members in Talks with Rebel Cleric

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Several members of the Iraqi Governing Council are negotiating with rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to end a Shi'ite Muslim uprising in the center and south of the country, a member of the council said on Saturday.

Naseer al-Chaderji declined to give details of the talks but told Reuters a deal would have to include Sadr's renunciation of violence and a commitment by the authorities to improve the lot of his mostly impoverished supporters.

"They are in direct contact with Moqtada. We are already seeing calm in Sadr City and we are encouraged by the situation in Najaf as we go into a major religious celebration," he said.

Sadr's militiamen launched an uprising last Sunday and have fought U.S.-led troops in Baghdad's Sadr City slum district and Shi'ite towns in the south, including the holy cities of Najaf and Kerbala.

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Iraq Council Members in Talks with Rebel Cleric