BAGHDAD, April 19: United States-led forces will not resume an offensive against guerillas in the bloodied city of Fallujah if they turn in their heavy weapons, the Coalition Provisional Authority said on Monday.
Negotiators had agreed after three days of talks to work towards a real and lasting ceasefire in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, said Dan Senor, the administration's chief spokesman.
It was unclear how much influence Fallujah officials have on the estimated 1,000-2,000 guerillas as flare-ups of fighting have occurred during a shaky truce over the past 10 days.
"The parties agreed that coalition forces do not intend to resume offensive operations if the persons in the city turn in their heavy weapons," Mr Senor said. Iraqi police and US troops would start joint patrols in Fallujah to try and restore order, he said.
The occupying forces launched a crackdown in Fallujah after a spate of attacks, including the killing and mutilation of four contractors in the town on March 31. They encircled it and vowed to capture those responsible for the killings.
Mr Senor said a present curfew would start two hours later and there would be unfettered access to Fallujah hospital, food and medicine would be provided to isolated areas and ambulances would be allowed to move freely.
TWO-FRONT FIGHTING: On top of a months old battle against guerillas, US-led forces have faced a new front this month against Shia fighters led by Moqtada al Sadr, but talks were going on to end it.
Brig Gen Mark Kimmitt, military spokesman in Iraq, said the 24 hours to Monday evening had been "remarkably" quiet in the country, with no troops killed and attacks well below the average of some 50 over the last two weeks. Several explosions occurred in Baghdad on Monday, one of them in the grounds of the Swedish embassy, unstaffed since 1991. There were no casualties.
110 SOLDIERS KILLED: New Pentagon figures showed 110 US soldiers had been killed in action since March 31 when US troops launched a major crackdown against guerillas - more than in the three-week invasion last year. -Reuters
2 TV MEN DIE: The US-funded Iraqiya Television said two of its staff were killed by US forces while working in Samarra, north of Baghdad.
