Sunnis offer peace deal

[ECH1969]

Iraq's Sunni leadership presented the majority-Shi'ite government yesterday with a 10-point ultimatum that they said would either end the violence or lead to a national strike and widespread street demonstrations.

It was the first time the Sunni minority has publicly offered conditions to end a bloody insurgency that has left thousands of Iraqis dead. However, it was not clear how much control the political parties have over the insurgents, who include foreign terrorists and disgruntled former members of dictator Saddam Hussein's military.

At the top of the list of demands was the resignation of the interior minister and his entire staff -- who are seen as leading a brutal anti-Sunni campaign through Iranian-trained Badr militias and a pro-Shi'ite police force.

The call comes amid a rise in sectarian killings, which Sunnis suspect are sanctioned by the government. Bodies of Sunnis, many blindfolded and shot in the head, are found almost daily. Speaking through Tariq al-Hashimi, who heads the Islamic Party within the Sunni-led Iraqi Accordance Front coalition, the Sunnis also asked that the Iraqi army take over from the police in the country's cities.

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20060202-080547-6823r

[sabra]

1. civil war, what civil war?

:sarcasm:

[stop the bleeding]

2. no doubt - why would there be negotiations? - terms are interesting n/t

[Teaser]

3. They made unattainable demands on purpose

Badr will not give up its little gov't sanctioned militas.

[0007]

4. What does Dr. Chalabi think? 0h, he's the oil minister now, I forgot!

At a Baghdad press conference that was telecast across the region, Mr. al-Hashimi said all militias in Iraq must be disarmed. He called for a halt to random arrests, or any arrest without a court order, and said all those being held without court orders should be released.

He also demanded an apology from the United States and Iraqi governments for all those who have died while being held without charges and called on both governments to release the results of investigations into secret prisons uncovered by U.S. troops last year.

The prisons had been run by forces under the authority of the Interior Ministry, which apparently abused and tortured prisoners.

Mr. al-Hashimi called for an end to such secret prisons and asked that a list of names of those arrested be made public.