Iraqi Insurgents Offer Peace for U.S. Concessions

By Robert Fisk,
The Independent UK.
Posted February 10, 2007.
For the first time, Sunni insurgents disclose their conditions for ceasefire in Iraq. The ball is now in Bush's court.
For the first time, one of Iraq's principal insurgent groups has set out the terms of a ceasefire that would allow American and British forces to leave the country they invaded almost four years ago.
The present terms would be impossible for any US administration to meet -- but the words of Abu Salih Al-Jeelani, one of the military leaders of the Sunni Iraqi Islamic Resistance Movement show that the groups which have taken more than 3,000 American lives are actively discussing the opening of contacts with the occupation army.
Al-Jeelani suggests the United Nations, the Arab League or the Islamic Conference might lead such negotiations and would have to guarantee the security of the participants.
Then come the conditions:
The release of 5,000 detainees held in Iraqi prisons as "proof of goodwill.”
Recognition "of the legitimacy of the resistance and the legitimacy of its role in representing the will of the Iraqi people.”
An internationally guaranteed timetable for all agreements.
The negotiations to take place in public.
The resistance "must be represented by a committee comprising the representatives of all the jihadist brigades."
The US to be represented by its ambassador in Iraq and the most senior commander.
The above demands are of course impossible, but could this be a starting point to negotiate the end of this war? I would hope that Bush would see it as so and perhaps respond in a like spirit. I don't see any mention of Al-Queda here or any indication as to whether this is a unanimous agreement across the board with the Sunni's...Still awaiting Bush's response, but he will probably dismiss it out of hand..In My View of It.

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