Walked out weeks ago to protest Maliki's meeting with Bush

Iraqi lawmakers say the political bloc of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has ended its two-month boycott of the country's parliament.

The lawmakers, who are members of Sadr's group, say they are rejoining the political process from Sunday. The Shi'ite bloc walked out of parliament seven weeks ago to protest a summit between Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and U.S. President George W. Bush in Amman, Jordan.

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Sadr's bloc holds 30 seats in parliament and also has six ministers in Mr. Maliki's Cabinet. The Iraqi prime minister has been under pressure from Washington to crack down on Sadr's powerful militia, the Mahdi Army.

U.S.-led forces detained a senior member of Sadr's group last Friday, accusing him of involvement in torture and kidnapping Iraqi civilians.