Well, it looks like we were trying to broker a deal with the insurgents but it fell through. We apparently had a Memorandum of Understanding but were unable (unwilling?) to keep up our end of the deal.
So, I guess that it was all for the best that the govt. kept us entirely in the dark about these efforts.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
‘Iraqi insurgents not in contact with US anymore’
* Representatives of 10 insurgent groups met Khalilzad seven times
* Talks focused on US withdrawal from Iraq
DUBAI: Iraqi insurgents met with the US ambassador seven times but decided to break off contacts after formation of the new Iraqi government, a major Arabic-language newspaper said Tuesday. In a rare interview with the London-based Asharq Al Awsat newspaper, an Iraqi insurgent leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the talks with US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad first took place in Amman, Jordan on Jan. 16 and continued in Baghdad at an undisclosed location outside the Green Zone.
“Seven meetings took place between us- the representatives of more than 10 prominent Iraqi resistance groups- and the American ambassador, three of which took place before Feb 6,” the militant leader was quoted as saying.
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According to Asharq Al Awsat, the insurgent leader said
the talks focused on a US withdrawal from Iraq. He said the Americans agreed to meet certain conditions during a supposed “period of calm” between Feb 6 and Feb 13, but they failed to do so.
“We had certain primary conditions including a halt to military operations, arrest raids against innocent Iraqis, and the release of prisoners that were arrested unjustly...but they failed to implement their obligations so the Iraqi resistance continued their operations,” the insurgent told the newspaper.
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http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\05\03\story_3-5-2006_pg4_1