Sadr so far cool to UN mediation to break Iraqi political deadlock
United Nations special representative Jeanine Plasschaert met with Muqtada al-Sadr in Najaf, but so far there are no signs of a compromise.
Thousands of Shiite protesters gathered in Grand Festivities Square in the heart of Baghdad's Green Zone to perform Friday prayer, summoned by populist Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to send a message to his rivals.
Huge numbers of pro-Sadrists from Baghdad and other provinces overflowed the public areas of the square, a national symbol for Iraq and the site of most of the country's military parades.
