Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Former VP orders Sunni fighters to stop attacks
Security, Insurgency, Politics
Former Iraqi vice president Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, now a fugitive with a $10 million bounty on his head, has ordered Sunni fighters loyal to the former president to cease operations within the past three days, said four officials in the Iraqi government and parliament, each in a position to hear about largely secret efforts to reach accord with members of the Sunni insurgency. The officials, who said they knew about the order independently because of their contacts with members of the insurgency, said the directive was issued through couriers sometime after Saddam was sentenced on Sunday to hang for crimes against humanity. The four answered questions from The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.
The reported al-Douri order coincided as well with talks currently taking place in Jordan between Americans and insurgent groups, including Baath Party officials, according to several of Iraq's Sunni lawmakers and government officials. One Sunni lawmaker said the Baathists told U.S. officials they realized they could not take back control of government but that the fighting could not stop without their agreement. The parliament member suggested that Baathists were trying to strike a deal for amnesty or leniency.
Last month U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said the United States had enlisted help from Sunni Arab powerhouses such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates in a bid to bring insurgents to the table. In addition to the U.S. talks with insurgents and Baath Party members, the al-Maliki government has dispatched independent missions to Jordan, where meetings took place in Iraq's Embassy with the Baathists "to listen to their point of view," said a senior government official with close insurgent ties. He also demanded anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information. Washington also has been pressing Iraq's Shiite prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, to agree to an amnesty for insurgents.
Last month U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said the United States had enlisted help from Sunni Arab powerhouses such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates in a bid to bring insurgents to the table. In addition to the U.S. talks with insurgents and Baath Party members, the al-Maliki government has dispatched independent missions to Jordan, where meetings took place in Iraq's Embassy with the Baathists "to listen to their point of view," said a senior government official with close insurgent ties. He also demanded anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information. Washington also has been pressing Iraq's Shiite prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, to agree to an amnesty for insurgents.
