In Washington, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that President Bush's
"view has been and remains that a timetable is not something that is useful. It
is a signal to the enemies that all you have to do is just wait and it's yours.
"The goal is not to trade something off for something else to make somebody
happy, the goal is to succeed," he said.
Bush has said U.S. troops will remain in Iraq for years to guarantee the
success of the new Iraqi government. However, American military officials have
said substantial reductions of the current force of 127,000 U.S. troops could be
made before the end of 2007.
Eight of the 11 insurgent groups banded together to approach al-Maliki's
government under The 1920 Revolution Brigade, which has claimed credit for
killing U.S. troops in the past. All 11, working through intermediaries, have
issued identical demands, according to insurgent spokesmen and government
officials.
The officials spoke on condition of anomymity because of the sensitivity of
the information and for fear of retribution.
The total number of insurgents is not known, nor how many men belong to each
group. But there are believed to be about two dozen insurgent organizations in
Iraq, so the 11 contacting the government could represent a substantial part of
the Sunni-led insurgency.
Al-Maliki's offer of amnesty for insurgents would not absolve those who have
killed Iraqis or American coalition troops. But proving which individuals have
carried out fatal attacks would, in many — if not most — cases, be a difficult
task.
The issue is extremely sensitive in the United States, which has lost more
than 2,500 uniformed men and women in Iraq, many to the insurgents' bombs and
ambushes.
Coinciding with al-Maliki's attempts to bring Sunni Arabs to the bargaining
table, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad held talks Tuesday in Saudi Arabia with
King Abdullah. The Saudis have influence with many Sunni insurgents in Iraq.
Al-Maliki also set up an e-mail account to communicate with insurgents,
flashing the address on the screen during a broadcast Sunday night.
For al-Maliki, reaching out to the Sunnis risks heightening tensions in his
ruling coalition of mostly Shiite Muslim political groups. Al-Maliki is said to
be increasingly disenchanted with the close ties between the country's most
powerful Shiite organization and Iran, which is ruled by a Shiite theocracy.
Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution
in Iraq, a Shiite group with historic ties to the Iranians, favors close
relations with Iran. Many of Iraq's most powerful Shiite politicians and
religious figures spent years in Iranian exile during Saddam Hussein's regime.
In addition to the withdrawal timetable, the Iraqi insurgents have demanded:
An end to U.S. and Iraqi military operations against insurgent forces.
Compensation for Iraqis killed by U.S. and government forces and
reimbursement for property damage.
An end to the ban on army officers from Saddam's regime in the Iraqi
military.
An end to the government ban on former members of the Baath Party -- which
ruled the country under Saddam.
The release of insurgent detainees.
The 1920 Revolution Brigades, the umbrella for seven other groups, was
established in the so-called Sunni Triangle north and west of Baghdad shortly
after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Its name refers to Iraq's historical fight
against British colonialism.
The group has claimed responsibility for attacking American troops, including
the downing of two helicopters in 2004.
"If they set a two-year timetable for the withdrawal we will stop all our
operations immediately," said the leader in a telephone interview with the AP.
The man, who refused to give his name for security reasons, spoke from the
telephone of one of the mediators. Others present made similar remarks.
Besides the 1920 Revolution Brigades, the eight include Abtal al-Iraq (Heroes
of Iraq), the 9th of April Group, al-Fateh Brigades, al-Mukhtar Brigades,
Salahuddin Brigades, Mujahedeen Army and the Brigades of the General Command of
the Armed Forces. The three other groups are small organizations that also
mainly operate in areas north of Baghdad.
