U.S. trying to open a dialogue with al-Sadr, commander says

[laststeamtrain]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

by Leila Fadel
McClatchy Newspapers

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military is seeking talks with Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr directly and through the government of Iraq, according to a top American general.

A Sadr aide confirmed that U.S. officials had approached the anti-American cleric's supporters but said that Sadr would never begin a dialogue with what they describe as "occupation forces."

"He has a grass-roots movement that he's always going to have; we have to recognize that," Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the second-ranking American commander in Iraq, told McClatchy Newspapers in an interview this week. "We're trying to talk to him. We want to talk to him."

In a video conference from Baghdad on Thursday, Odierno also said the U.S. was reaching out to Sunni Muslims as well as Shiite armed factions such as Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.

Read more: http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/world/17306275.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

[Jacobin]

1. hmmm, where's kissinger and paris peace talks

and 'peace with honor' and some new nice sounding words to admit defeat and get the fork out

[laststeamtrain]

2. AFP: US reaches out to Iraq insurgents after bloody month

<snip>

US commanders hope to convince local Iraqi resistance groups to split from Islamist outfits like Al-Qaeda that are thought irreconcilable. In the western province of Anbar, tribal leaders have already turned on insurgents.

"It's happening in small levels. Now, again, it's just beginning, so we have a lot of work to do in this," said Odierno, noting that Shiite groups such as the Mahdi Army might be won over along with Sunni insurgents.

"We have organised ourselves to be more aggressive in this area. We believe a large majority of groups within Iraq are reconcilable, and are now interested in engaging with us," the general said.

The comments by Odierno, second in command in Iraq to General David Petraeus, are the clearest signal yet of a change in strategy by US forces after more than four years of bitter combat with insurgents of all stripes.

<more>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070531/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_070531191453&printer=1;_ylt=An825FS5jrDL5eEkP7pBfLybOrgF

[anotherdrew]

3. didn't it just leak out that they had wanted/planned to kill him ? n/t

[bemildred]

4. I think the story was that they tried and failed. nt

[Psephos]

5. Seems like a better idea than what they've been doing up til now n/t