The powerful Shiite leaders Moqtada al-Sadr and Abdul Aziz al-Hakim have reportedly agreed upon a peace deal aimed at ending years of rivalry. "The agreement is essentially a commitment of honour. The most important aspect is that it forbids both sides to engage in bloodletting against each other and against Iraqis in general," said Liwa Sumaysim, head of the political committee of the Sadr group.

Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has announced late August that his Mahdi Army is to stand down for six months pending reorganization in order to "honor the principles for which it is formed." Al-Hakim leads the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC) and was a member of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council and served as its president in December 2003. Abdul Aziz al-Hakim is ill with lung cancer and received treatment in Houston, U.S., and then in Iran.

Al-Hakim's office said Saturday's accord with Moqtada al-Sadr mentioned three points aimed at "enhancing relations between the two groups and maintaining the Islamic and national interest." The first point of the deal outlined "the necessity to maintain and respect the Iraqi blood under whatever circumstances or by any party. Bloodletting is contrary to all legislations and morals." The remaining two points talked of uniting media and cultural efforts and setting up a joint committee to keep order between their respective supporters, Al-Jazeera reports.

Members of the party led by radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said in mid-September they pulled out of the United Iraqi Alliance because the other parties do not consider their opinions. The Sadrists have previously threatened to resort to this drastic measure if their point of view isn’t taken in consideration. They were occupying 30 of the 128 seats controlled by the United Iraqi Alliance in the Council of Representatives. Sadr leaders said the coalition isn’t capable of bringing stability in Iraq because several parties continue to dictate the alliance’s decisions, regardless of other opinions.

The Mahdi Army, formed after the U.S. occupation of Iraq in 2003, is the most active and feared armed Shiite group in the country. Its main purposes are to retaliate against the Sunnis following their attacks on civilians and to fight against the occupation troops. Moqtada al-Sadr is believed to be hiding in Iran. The Mahdi Army is also known as the Mahdi Militia or Jaish al Mahdi and spearheaded in April 2004 the first major armed confrontation against the U.S-led occupation forces in Iraq from the Shi'ite community.