Friday, April 13, 2007
Talabani in final negotiations with five armed groups
Politics, Insurgency
(Al-Iraqiyah ) - President Jalal Talabani announced on April 11 that negotiations with five armed groups are entering the final stages, and that they will abandon violence and join the political process, state-run Al-Iraqiyah television reported the same day. He declined to name the groups, fearing they may be singled out and targeted by groups connected to Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Talabani also stressed that a dialogue should be opened with all groups that reject terrorism. "We should be ready to deal with the groups that have distinguished themselves from terrorists," he said. "There are two trenches: the trench of Iraqi people and the trench of terrorism. We cannot be in the two trenches." Talabani singled out the Iraqi Islamic Party as being one of the groups that has rejected terrorism and as a result should be given the full support of the government and people.
Labels: armed groups, Iraqi Islamic Party, Jalal Talabani, negotiations
