WORLD BRIEFING / TURKEY

An Iraqi cleric who led bloody rebellions against U.S. troops but has stayed out of public view in the last two years made an unusually visible appearance in Turkey, which is raising its own profile as a mediator in the region.

Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada Sadr met about 70 fellow Iraqi Shiites in Istanbul, Turkey’s biggest city, in what representatives described as a discussion of ways to contribute to Iraq’s future.

Although Sadr shunned the news media, his participation as well as a photograph of him seated with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a meeting a day earlier in Ankara were departures from his customary reclusiveness.

Sadr has made announcements on his website and issued statements for Friday prayers, usually relayed via aides. The last time he appeared in public was May 25, 2007, when he delivered a sermon in the Iraqi city of Kufa.