Posted on 06/25/2005 10:13:05 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
LONDON (AP) - U.S. officials held secret talks in Iraq with the commanders of several Iraqi insurgent groups recently in an attempt to open a dialogue with them, a British newspaper reported Sunday.
The commanders "apparently came face to face" with four American officials during meetings on June 3 and June 13 at a summer villa near Balad, about 25 miles north of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, according to The Sunday Times. The Sunday Times said neither the Iraqi government nor U.S. officials in Baghdad would confirm its report about the talks.
Military officials in Baghdad did not immediately respond to a request by The Associated Press for comment on the Times article early Sunday morning.
The story, which quoted unidentified Iraqis whose groups were purportedly involved in the talks, said those at the first meeting included Ansar al-Sunnah Army, which has claimed responsibility for suicide bombings in Iraq and an attack that killed 22 people in the dining hall of a U.S. base at Mosul last Christmas.
Two others were Jaish Mohammed, or Mohammed's Army, and the Islamic Army in Iraq, which in August reportedly killed Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni, the newspaper said.
One of the Americans at the talks introduced himself as a Pentagon representative and declared himself ready to "find ways of stopping the bloodshed on both sides and to listen to demands and grievances," The Sunday Times said.
It said the official indicated that the results of the talks would be relayed to his superiors in Washington.
The U.S. officials tried to gather information about the structure, leadership and operations of the insurgent groups, which irritated some members, who had been told the talks would consider their main demand, a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, the report said.
The newspaper report follows accounts of indirect talks with the insurgents using Iraqi intermediaries.
A senior U.S. official said earlier this month that American authorities have negotiated with key Sunni leaders, who are in turn talking with insurgents and trying to persuade them to lay down their arms. The official, who did not give his name so as not to undercut the new government's authority, did not name the Sunni leaders engaged in dialogue.
Members of the disaffected Sunni minority group, which was dominant under Saddam Hussein but lost power to Shiites and Kurds after his ouster, are believed to be the driving force behind Iraq's insurgency.
Iraq's former electricity minister, Ayham al-Samarie, has told The Associated Press that two insurgent groups - the Islamic Army in Iraq and the Army of Mujahedeen - were willing to negotiate with the Iraqi government, possibly opening a new political front in the country.
The Kerry envoy?
a British newspaper reported
Well, if such meeting took place, I'm sure some predators were on hand to keep a close eye on the terrorists to see which mosques they returned to.
The United States has asked Japan to extend its military deployment to Iraq, a Japanese daily said on Sunday, following earlier reports that Tokyo was considering withdrawing its troops when their mandate ends in December. File photo: Japanese soldier's from the country's Self-Defense Force drive through the southern Iraqi city of Samawa May 14, 2005. Photo by Mohammed Ameen/Reuters
Iraqis inspect a Muslim Shiite mosque that was destroyed in a car bomb attack few days ago in Karrada area in central Baghdad. The new Iraq is still a place where violence reigns and ethnic and sectarian divisions are growing deeper.(AFP/Sabah Arar)
Iraqi police walks away from a rocket discovered at a disused naval base near Basra June 25, 2005. Police disarmed the warhead and removed the engine from the rocket. REUTERS/Atef Hassan
This sounds more like they were meeting with the tribal leaders who have been involved in the insurgancy. It's pretty well known over there that some of them are sick of this war and want it to end. They're also fed up with the foreign terrorists.
At the next big meeting, we should have our own bomb planted on their side of the table.
This is a disquised LIBERAL WHORES lieing method of again saying "BUSH LIED" because he said we would NEVER negotiate with terrorists. There is no end to the mentally deranged liberal agenda.
Its no secret, its been going on for weeks. Iraqi government has had several talks, too.
Top brass says nothing has come from it as of yet. I hope we can get them to stop the killing.
In this unique case, I think its ok to negotiate with these lunatics. We can't rebuild and offer hope until things settle down more. IMO
No secret at all, and nothing shameful in it, either. Remember the Fallujah Brigade last year?
This war will be won on the political side of the house, and part of politics means talking to people you despise.
- ThreeTracks
Talk really ain't a problem, just do not stop KILLING the BAD ones anywhere!
"The Kerry envoy?"
You beat me to it - I thought the same thing when I read the headline... so that's where Kerry has been!!! He is worried that he is getting rusty committing treason and sedition.
And lots of us thought he was out windsurfing. Damn, we shouldn't be so hard on the guy - he is out tirelessly travelling abroad seeking to destroy our country; oh, wait, that's not a good thing... BTW, I hear it's peak windsurfing season :-)
He served in Vietnam, n'est ce pas?
And during WW II we communicated secretly, through third parties (mostly Britain via Sweden) with people from Germany and Japan. In any war, there are going to large #s of the enemy who are not all that committed, and you want to find a way to let them quit the fight.
Yes, exactly.
By the way, were any of you aware John Kerry served in Vietnam?
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