At last

Finally, a piece of relatively hopeful news from Iraq:

Iraqi Cleric Sketches Deal to End Insurgency
Senior aides to Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr agreed with other Shi'ite Muslim factions on Tuesday that Sadr could pull his Mehdi Army militia out of Najaf in return for a U.S. withdrawal from the holy city.

If the agreement in principle can be put into practice, it could end an insurgency against the U.S. occupation that has swept Shi'ite southern Iraq (news - web sites), threatening U.S. plans to reduce its military presence and hand power to an Iraqi government.