Sadr not U.S. enemy if he sticks to politics

By Andrew Gray

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr will not be treated as an enemy of the United States if he plays a peaceful role in Iraqi politics, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday.

Gates also insisted he and top U.S. military chiefs agreed with President George W. Bush's policy of indefinitely freezing troop reductions from Iraq starting this summer, despite some differences in their public comments.

U.S. and Iraqi forces have been fighting intense battles with members of Sadr's Mehdi Army militia in recent weeks. But U.S. officials have described the fighters as rogue elements within the group, which is formally observing a cease-fire.

"Those who are prepared to work within the political process in Iraq, and peacefully, are not enemies of the United States," Gates told reporters at the Pentagon.

Gates said he would be surprised if Sadr, widely believed to be in Iran, were arrested if he returned to Iraq.

"He is a significant political figure," Gates said. "We want him to work within the political process in Iraq. He has a large following. And I think it's important that he become a part of the process if he isn't already."

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki cracked down last month against Mehdi Army fighters in the southern city of Basra. The operation sparked fighting in both Basra and Baghdad's Shi'ite slum of Sadr City.

U.S. officials have accused Iran of supporting the so-called "special groups" of rogue Mehdi Army fighters. Iran has denied involvement, blaming Iraqi violence on the presence of U.S. troops.