Peace deal offers Iraq insurgents an amnesty

UK Times ^ | 6/23/06 | Ned Parker in Baghdad and Tom Baldwin

[bnelson44]

THE Iraqi Government will announce a sweeping peace plan as early as Sunday in a last-ditch effort to end the Sunni insurgency that has taken the country to the brink of civil war. The 28-point package for national reconciliation will offer Iraqi resistance groups inclusion in the political process and an amnesty for their prisoners if they renounce violence and lay down their arms, The Times can reveal.

The Government will promise a finite, UN-approved timeline for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq; a halt to US operations against insurgent strongholds; an end to human rights violations, including those by coalition troops; and compensation for victims of attacks by terrorists or Iraqi and coalition forces.

It will pledge to take action against Shia militias and death squads. It will also offer to review the process of “de-Baathification” and financial compensation for the thousands of Sunnis who were purged from senior jobs in the Armed Forces and Civil Service after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

[nmh]

Yeah, you can really TRUST insurgents!

LOL!!!

Are these people for real?

[bnelson44]

THE OFFER (pretty much what we heard before)

A schedule for coalition forces to withdraw

General amnesty for prisoners “who have not shed innocent Iraqis’ blood”

A halt to “anti-terrorist operations” by coalition forces in insurgent areas

A review of the process of de-Baathification and of financial compensation to sacked civil servants from the Saddam regime

[Rembrandt]

This has to be pure Bravo Sierra!

[inkling]

An amnesty plan is how Iraq breaks the remnants of the insurgency in two. Half cry "uncle," then they turn in the half still fighting. It sows big-time distrust in the enemy as each wonders who will rat out whom. Divide and conquer.

This is similar to a mafia boss getting a sweetheart deal for turning state evidence against his former associates.

[SteveMcKing]

If someone had beheaded a family memeber, any good relative would only use such an offer to fake them out before getting revenge.

[Spktyr]

The proper flipside to this should be, "If you don't take the amnesty, we won't send you to jail. We'll just kill you. Choose wisely."

[downtownconservative]

"...a last-ditch effort to end the Sunni insurgency that has taken the country to the brink of civil war."

I guess this half-hearted, half-baked, half-cry-uncle (nice_credit to inkling) is it then. If this fails, that's it. It's a "last-ditch effort" to save Iraq from the "brink"./s If only these writers could stress truth over drama. Sheesh!

[StJacques]

". . . It will pledge to take action against Shia militias and death squads. . . ."

If I was a Sunni insurgent, I would insist upon this as a precondition for completing. As an American even I don't believe it.

[bnelson44]

Captain Ed has commentary:

http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/007287.php

[1066AD]

As the article implies, the devil will be in the details but something like this is the only way the killing will ever have a chance of ending with some hope going forward.

[Just A Nobody]

Do you know if there is ANY truth to this?

The Government will promise a finite,
1. UN-approved timeline for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq;
2. a halt to US operations against insurgent strongholds;
3. an end to human rights violations, including those by coalition troops;
4. and compensation for victims of attacks by terrorists or Iraqi and coalition forces.

UN approved??? WTH?
If we are to halt ops against "strongholds" there will be no reason to be there. I can't/won't comment on the rest!

[syriacus]

I know that the US government granted amnesty a number of times, during and after the Civil War, but I'm not so sure I'd trust any amnesty granted to me by the Iraqi government.

Saddam "forgave" his sons-in-law for defecting; then, when they returned to Iraq, declared them traitors before they were killed. Other Arabs have been equally treacherous, pretending to forgive someone they later killed.

[weegee]

So if the US "pulls out", will the UN set up camp to "keep the peace"? And use US troops (under their blue and white flag)?

[Just A Nobody]

What did the UN do to help in the first place??

Why should they be there?

The UN "keeping the peace"? I laugh at that!!!

Our troops did not VOLUNTEER to be a force for the UN! If our gov't. wants to see recruitment drop to zero, put them in light blue helmets!

[weegee]

Oh I agree, the UN is a miserable failure. And their offices were blown up in Iraq by these same "insurgents".

But they are trying to intervene and "negotiate" the peace as John Kerry did when he met with Vietnamese officials in France.

[Just A Nobody]

But they are trying to intervene and "negotiate" the peace as John Kerry did when he met with Vietnamese officials in France.

I have not had nearly enough coffee.....would you explain this statement to me. Do/did you approve of sKerry negotiating "peace" with the NV?

[weegee]

Not at all, he had no authority to go over and intervene. Neither does the UN. Odd that he engaged in such behavior and yet most Americans are oblivious to what a Presidential candidate had done in the war.

All such maneuvers do is provide aid and comfort to the enemy. There is absolutely NO valid argument for the actions of the enemy. It would be like negotiating with the Nazis and leaving them power.

[Just A Nobody]

Okay thanks! I was relatively sure we were on the same page...just needed verification.