US Commanders Talking To Iraqi Militants About Cease-Fires

Thursday, May 31st 2007, 10:46 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ U.S. military commanders are talking with Iraqi militants about cease-fires and other arrangements to try to stop the violence, the No. 2 American commander said Thursday.

Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno said commanders at all levels are being empowered to reach out to militants, tribes, religious leaders and others in the country that has been gripped by violence from a range of fronts including insurgents, sectarian rivals and common criminals.

``It's just beginning, so we have a lot of work to do in this,'' he said. ``But we have restructured ourselves ... to work this issue.''

``We are talking about cease-fires, and maybe signing some things that say they won't conduct operations against the government of Iraq or against coalition forces.,'' Odierno told Pentagon reporters in a video conference from Baghdad.

He said the effort goes hand in hand with reconciliation efforts by the Iraqi government.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other leaders are under increasing pressure from Washington to do more to achieve reconciliation among factions because, officials argue, no amount of military force can bring peace to the country without political peace.

Al-Maliki announced a national reconciliation proposal nearly a year ago that has made limited progress. It offered some amnesty to members of the Sunni-led insurgency and a change in a law that had removed senior members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party from their jobs.

``I believe there are elements that are irreconcilable, but I believe the large majority are,'' Odierno said. ``I believe about 80 percent are reconcilable, both Jaish al-Mahdi as well as Sunni insurgents,'' though very few of al-Qaida.

``There will be always people that are irreconcilable and ... the Iraqi government, with our support, will have to continue to conduct operations against those forces,'' he said. ``Prime Minister Maliki and the government of Iraq have to continue to reach out to all these groups. ... That's what this reconciliation is about ... bringing these groups into the political process so we can deal with their differences in a peaceful way instead of in violent ways.''