December 3, 2007

Baghdad - Iraq's main Sunni bloc said on Monday it is ending its boycott of parliament after one of its leaders was freed from effective house arrest imposed after bombs were found near his Baghdad office.

"The National Concord Front is announcing the end of its boycott of parliament and has decided to let the law take its course so that justice is served away from political influences," the Front said in a statement.

The Iraqi government said on Sunday that seven detained guards of Sunni leader Adnan al-Dulaimi have tested "positive" for handling explosives after troops found the bombs near his office on Thursday.

After detonating the bombs, Iraqi troops detained Dulaimi's son and dozens of his bodyguards. The politician was placed under house arrest on Friday, prompting the Front on Saturday to announce a boycott of parliament.

Government spokesperson Ali al-Dabbagh said Dulaimi was transferred on Sunday from his house to the Al-Rasheed Hotel inside Baghdad's tightly guarded Green Zone, the seat of the Iraqi government and the US embassy - ending his house arrest.

"The parliamentary committee formed to deal with the issue of Dulaimi has contacted the concerned parties and has reached a settlement on this issue in terms of which Dulaimi will be allowed to resume his normal political career," the Front said in its statement.

It repeated its warning, however, that any attempt to lift the immunity from prosecution Dulaimi enjoys as a member of parliament would have "serious consequences for the political process".