Secret American talks with insurgents break down

[spindrifter]

The Sunday Times December 10, 2006
Hala Jaber, Amman

SECRET talks in which senior American officials came face-to-face with some of their most bitter enemies in the Iraqi insurgency broke down after two months of meetings, rebel commanders have disclosed.

The meetings, hosted by Iyad Allawi, Iraq’s former prime minister, brought insurgent commanders and Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador to Iraq, together for the first time.

After months of delicate negotiations Allawi, a former Ba’athist and a secular Shi’ite, persuaded three rebel leaders to travel to his villa in Amman, the Jordanian capital, to see Khalilzad in January.

<snip>

At one point the insurgents offered Khalilzad a 10-day “period of grace” in which attacks on coalition forces would be suspended in return for a cessation of US military operations.

<more>

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2496369,00.html

[originalpckelly]

1. NO SHIT!

Holy crap! I wonder how the freepers will react to this one. Maybe this is why Cheney and Bush went to the ME? Were they meeting with the insurgents?

:wow:

[spindrifter]

2. It looks like these meetings

began last January. Then, after they broke down there was talk about how we needed to have meetings, but they didn't mention the insurgents so much as leaders from other M.E./ Muslim countries. I'm wondering what the real breaking point was....

[originalpckelly]

3. HOLY CRAP! You know this will blow the freepers minds...

they may have to deal with the fact that THEY have been negotiating with the terrorists!

And they had enough nerve to fucking call US traitors/terrorist coddlers!

[originalpckelly]

4. Why isn't anyone talking about this?

This is like the biggest deal I've ever heard!

[bananas]

5. Because they're secret!

The media has probably been told not to report on it.

[originalpckelly]

6. Well this was just posted on their website...

hopefully it will grow legs.

[originalpckelly]

7. I meant DUers by the way...

It's 1:18 AM in London, so this story was just probably published an hour and 18 minutes ago.

[iamtechus]

8. Does Rummy's visit have something to do with this?

At this point, I think we need to ask what the bushistas did to trash the talks.

[SeaBob]

9. K&R

[Lars39]

10. K&R

jaw-dropping

[originalpckelly]

11. I keep thinking "NO SHIT!"

Over and over in my head. These fuckers had the nerve to criticize us for wanting due process, but they have been fucking negotiating with the insurgents!

[Auntie Bush]

12. Wow!

That is really big news...but In sorry they were unsuccessful. I had big hopes of some sort of agreement. Bush* lies to the public again.