Militia receive money for weapons during handover, reax

(11 Oct 2004) SHOTLIST 1. Various of masked Iraqi soldiers receiving weapons 2. Official opening packet of US dollars 3. Man counting the cash of US dollars 4. Official handing cash to militiaman 5. Close up of cash being handed to militiaman 6. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Iraqi official (name unknown) "Some of (cleric Muqtada al-)Sadr's militiamen received good fees, not as a compensation for the weapons they turned in, but as a reward for their cooperation. A large number of them brought weapons, but they refused to be paid." 7. Rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) stacked in a pile on the ground 8. Various shots of man walking with weapons in his hand 9. Iraqi guard inspecting weapon 10. Iraqi guard writing in a book 11. Various of militiaman standing in front of Iraqi guard 12. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Voxpop, Militiaman: "In response to a demand by al- Marjayah (a Shiite cleric authority), we hand over our weapons." 13. Iraqi National Guardsman carrying weapons at police station 14. Various of weapons being laid or piled on the ground 15. Weapons being taken out of the trunk of a car 16. Various of piles of weapons on the ground 17. US troops at al-Jezaaer police station 18. Various exteriors of al-Jezaaer police station 19. SOUNDBITE: (English) Lt. Colonel Volesky, US Army: "There has been no ceasefire agreement, there is no truce. This was an initiative started by the Sadr bureau to say we are willing to turn our weapons in." 20. Iraqi guards standing in front of piles of weapons 21. Iraqi security officer writing a list for weapons hand over 22. Iraqi policemen counting weapons laid out in a row on the ground STORYLINE: Followers of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr trickled into police stations in Baghdad's Sadr City district to hand in weapons on Monday under a deal seen as a key step toward ending weeks of fighting between US and Iraqi militiamen in the Shiite militant stronghold. Cash in US dollars was handed to militiamen after they turned in rocket propelled grenades and other weapons. Police said the rates ranged from five US dollars for a hand grenade to one-thousand US dollars for a heavy-calibre machine gun. But an Iraqi official said the militiamen were receiving cash as a "reward for their cooperation", not as compensation for the weapons turned in, and that some had refused to be paid. Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army agreed over the weekend to hand in its medium and heavy weapons in Sadr City. In preparation for the handover of weapons, checkpoints were set up along the roads to three area police stations, and Iraqi National Guard members took up positions on surrounding rooftops. Both sides still view one another with suspicion. Militia fighters and even some Iraqi National Guard members covered their faces during the handover, apparently for fear of being targeted. Many of the weapons handed in at some areas appeared old and rusted, but the government was hopeful the process would spell the end of the Shiite revolt and enable the Americans and their Iraqi allies to shift attention to the more extensive Sunni Muslim insurgency. The arms transfer is supposed to last five days, after which Iraqi police and National Guardsmen will assume security responsibility for the slum, which is home to more than two million people. In return, the government has promised to start releasing detained al-Sadr followers, provided they didn't commit crimes. It has also suspended raids in the northeastern Baghdad district. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...