Iraq Council Delegation Meets Rebels in Falluja

Reuters ^ | 4/10/04

[kattracks]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A delegation from Iraq (news - web sites)'s Governing Council held talks in Falluja on Saturday to try to secure a peace deal with rebels after days of fighting that has killed hundreds of people.

"The delegation, which is made up of two members of the Governing Council and also includes clerics and other notables from Baghdad, is meeting (rebels) in Falluja now," Mahmoud Othman, a member of the Governing Council, told Reuters.

[Ichneumon]

Any bets on whether their corpses end up hung from a bridge?

[Diogenesis]

How about a Shiite and Sunni cleric, each against the Coalition, but supported by the US State Dept.

[Dustoff45]

Now this is a positive step forward in self-government for the Iraqi people.

Nothing like discussing your situation with family that understand you better, instead of just blasting away at your neighbor that you do not know.

The continued emphasis on a June 30 transfer date is becoming more and more a clue to positive management from our Executive Branch.

How many of our own personal big decisions on life began with first considering the costs, setting a date, and then working hard to see it happen?

College graduation

marriage

New Home

New Job

retirement

Sounds like they went out to make peace with the rebels, however the rebels did like like the flag that the US troops were waving. Now coming the delegation from Baghdad waving a flag of self-determination woven in the language, culture and history of the people.

If the rebels are just frustrated Iraqis, then an internal solution is possible. However, if they are rebels from outside Iraq, then the delegation will be quick to both detect and understand.

We may be seeing the stategy to lead the new government into a method of mediating their own internal conflicts.

[adam_az]

Enter the Hudna.

:(

[kattracks]

Iraq Council delegation meets rebels in Falluja

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(Adds details, quotes)

BAGHDAD, April 10 (Reuters) - A delegation from Iraq's Governing Council went to the restive Sunni town of Falluja on Saturday to try to secure a peace deal with rebels after days of fighting that has killed hundreds of people.

"The delegation, which is made up of two members of the Governing Council and also includes clerics and other notables from Baghdad, is meeting in Falluja now," Mahmoud Othman, a member of the Governing Council, told Reuters.

"They are meeting with religious leaders there, and with leaders of the anti-coalition forces," Othman said, adding that they were likely to stay "until a deal can be cut".

The Governing Council's delegation is made up of Hakim al-Hosni, deputy head of the Iraqi Islamic Party, and Ghazi al-Yawar, a Sunni member of the 25-member council. Othman did not say who the Baghdad clerics and notables were.

Earlier, al-Hosni called on those fighting in Falluja to respect the truce offer made by U.S. forces earlier on Saturday.

"The Iraqi Islamic Party calls on our brothers in Falluja to stop attacks from your side because the Americans are saying they are abiding by the ceasefire but are facing attacks which they have to respond to," Hosni told al-Jazeera television.

"We want you to help us stop the bloodshed and to give us a chance to treat the injured, bury the dead and deliver supplies," he said.

Othman said the delegation intended to ask Falluja leaders to hand over those responsible for attacking a convoy of American contractors 10 days ago, when the bodies were burnt and dragged through the streets after the attack.

He also said U.S.-led coalition forces believed foreign fighters, including Saudis and Syrians, had been smuggled into Falluja to fight with the insurgents, contributing to the stern resistance that U.S. forces have faced.

[ChinaThreat]

Interesting angle .

[neutrino]

Our little buddies on the council wouldn't sell us out, now, would they? Naw...

[bert]

We may be seeing the stategy to lead the new government into a method of mediating their own internal conflicts....

Great post. A carefully reasoned voice seperating the truth from all the noise.

[mrsmith]

True. It's a baby step and I don't expect it to come to anything, but they are trying to work together which is our greatest goal.

'Iraq haiku'

Negotiations
with Fallujah losers, look:
A C one three oh!

[elfman2]

I’m sure the adiminstration is getting pressured by 99% of the world to let off and negotiate, but this is IMHO the wrong approach. We should finish these people in Falluja, and have that as an example to any potential followers.

[elfman2]

" We may be seeing the stategy to lead the new government into a method of mediating their own internal conflicts.... "

And a strategy for participants in this new government to exercise authority. Attack the government, kidnap prominent citizens and win concessions. We may be seeing patters set in the next few weeks.

[aquila48]

Call me very cynical... though I wish you were right.

I only see two outcomes from this meeting.

If the rabid bunch think they still have the upper hand, they will tell the emissaries to screw themselves.

If they feel they're cornered they will temporarily aquiesce to get out of the tight spot, regroup and fight another day, and in the process thinking what saps we are.

I truly, truly believe there are groups of people that have to be brought to their knees for us to have any hope of success.

[bert]

Well stated....

There can be no meaningful reward without some risk.

Freedom will come only if there is effort and perhaps some spilled blood dedicated to the process.

[Dustoff45]

I tend to be cynical also, but I also believe that abundant prayer to a Living God has gone forth from this nation because we have sent many of our best into harm's way. There has been a cry In Christ's Name for change in the hearts of muslims and those prone to terrorist acts.

Our difficult goal is to turn around a trend that has been gaining momemtun, yet leads to power in the hands of tyrants. It really took some strong decicion-making to fire upon the mosques.

The USA is the only Nation that has the determination to work with the developing government to see to its success. I do not see this as a campaign issue, but a long-term national security interest.

It was helpful for Condi Rice to touch upon the need for regional influence to affect changes necessary in Afganistan.

[Cap Huff]

I think your analysis in post #4 is plausible. There are two components here, a military one and a political one. We are not a war-like nation. The political goal is the real goal. We could militarily flatten Fallujah and any other town in Iraq we wanted to, but that would not serve our long term goals.

On a few other threads I have noted that cynicism did not win WWII and it did not win the Cold War. We must resist every temptation to become cynical. As a serious student of the Bible, I cannot think of any passage in the Bible that calls for Christians to be cynical. Surely we are not to put our eternal trust in anyone else but Jesus, but that is not cause to be cynical about everything but the Gospel. We must be realistic about the motives of sinful man, but never cynical. The Lord knows how I have been tempted here, but I continue to resist that temptation.