In Najaf, Allawi Calls for Insurgents to End Fighting

By Liane Hansen,

Ivan Watson

Published August 7, 2004 at 11:00 PM CDT

Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi visited Najaf Sunday, calling for Shiite insurgents to abandon their positions. Allawi's call for the fighters to lay down their weapons came as violence continued between Iraqi security forces and militia loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Hear NPR Liane Hansen and NPR's Ivan Watson.

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Weekend Edition

Liane Hansen

Liane Hansen has been the host of NPR's award-winning Weekend Edition Sunday for 20 years. She brings to her position an extensive background in broadcast journalism, including work as a radio producer, reporter, and on-air host at both the local and national level. The program has covered such breaking news stories as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the capture of Saddam Hussein, the deaths of Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Columbia shuttle tragedy. In 2004, Liane was granted an exclusive interview with former weapons inspector David Kay prior to his report on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The show also won the James Beard award for best radio program on food for a report on SPAM.

Ivan Watson

Ivan Watson is currently based in Istanbul, Turkey. Following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he has served as one of NPR's foreign "firemen," shuttling to and from hotspots around the Middle East and Central Asia.