DES MOINES (AP) - Three protesters seeking a commitment from Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee to end the Iraq war were arrested Monday for refusing to leave his office.

Police arrested Mona Shaw, 56, of Iowa City; Robert Braam, 51, Manhattan, Ill.; and Kathy Kelly, 55, of Chicago, at around 1:20 p.m., Shaw said.

They were charged with criminal trespass and released.

Des Moines police spokesman Vince Valdez confirmed the arrests and said the three were taken into custody without violence and released.

The three are members of a group called Seasons of Discontent: a Presidential Occupation Project, which goes by the acronym SODaPOP. The group said in a statement is was organized by members of the Iowa Occupation Project and the Illinois-based Voices for Creative Nonviolence.

Shaw said a group of eight anti-war activists arrived at Huckabee's headquarters in Des Moines at around 12:20 with the intention of seeking a commitment from the candidate to end the war.

She said the organizations sent presidential candidates letters indicating they would be visited by activists to seek commitments for an immediate end to the war in Iraq.

"We said if we didn't hear back we would be visiting them and staying in their offices until we received that commitment," Shaw said. "That was our plan in Gov. Huckabee's office today."

Members of the group held a banners that read "Who Would Jesus Bomb?" "End the Iraq War" and "No War with Iran." Protesters sang "Auld Lang Syne," which Shaw said was in remembrance of lives lost in the United States war on terror and some chanted "Who Would Jesus Bomb?"

Shaw said several passers-by and some supporters of candidate Ron Paul's campaign gathered outside Huckabee's office when they saw the protest occurring.

Shaw said she and the two others arrested went inside the office and refused to leave until they spoke to Huckabee. She said campaign staff members called police.

Huckabee's bus arrived at the office to meet with supporters but he remained on the bus when he saw a gathering of people outside.

Huckabee's spokesman Eric Woolson said the bus took the candidate to another entrance in the building and he kept his meeting on the building's third floor with campaign volunteers.

"We had a full day's schedule and it wasn't like we had time in the schedule to push our way through scores of people to have a confrontation with someone," Woolson said.

He said Huckabee disagrees with the group's philosophy of ending the war.

"The governor said the way to end the war is to win it," Woolson said. "They clearly have a different position and their position is we ought to cut and run and they think that's the right thing to do and there's a clear difference of opinion on that."

The group said it will continue actions of civil disobedience through Jan. 3, the day of the Iowa caucuses.

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On the Net: SODaPOP: http://www.desmoinescatholicworker.org/sodapop.html