Sadrists say Bush statements mean they will stop negotiations attempts and protect citizenry from the assault on them

URGENT: As posted below The main Sadrist spokesman al-Obeidi has said that the GZG government “have closed the doors to dialogue for a peaceful resolution of the crisis in Basrah.” He said that al Sadr has issued a statement saying that Bush’s statements on the crisis provide legitimate legal grounds for the Mahdi army and the Sadrist current to transform their role from calling for peaceful mediation of the crisis to the defender of the rights of the people and to protect innocent civilians.

Sadrists also confirmed a delegation of the Central Bureau of the Sadrist office in Najaf visited Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani and discussed with him developments in the security situation in Basra. Sistani expressed displeasure of the deteriorating performance of the government in the areas of security and economy.

Tags: Basrah, Basrah "surge", Grand Ayatollah Sistani, Mahdi Army, Politics and Security, Surge Failure, البصرة‎, السيد علي الحسيني السيستاني