Americans said to have proposed a six-month truce to the resistance groups

Al-Hayat says this morning that it has learned from "sources in the government and sources close to the armed groups" about a plan including a followup reconciliation meeting, to be arranged by the Iraqi Reconciliation Agency, but to be held under American and international auspices, along with a proposal for a six-month truce between the armed resistance groups and the American/Iraqi forces. The story begins like this:

Al-Hayat learned from government sources, and from other sources close to the armed groups, that the Reconciliation Agency is working toward a broad-based meeting, to be held before the end of the year, under American and international auspices, with the participation of fighting groups, politicians including former Baathists, and the government. A preparatory meeting has been held at a hotel on the Dead Sea in Jordan.

[Then following a paragraph on the release by the Americans of nine Iranians, the journalist continues with the reconciliation story]: A source told Al-Hayat that messages from the Iraqi government, and additional messages from the American forces, and a third [set of messages] from regional and international organizations, not named, have in fact been sent out to the leaders of the armed groups, most of whom are involved in one of two political fronts, namely the "Political Council for the Iraqi Resistance" and "Jihad and Change Front", in addition to the groups led by former vice president Izzat al-Douri, being Sufi and Baathist groups.

The source said most of the parties expressed willingness to attend the proposed meeting, provided there are international guarantees and that it is held outside of Iraq.

The journalist then notes that not much is known about the recent preparatory Dead Sea meetings that were held behind closed doors, quoting Saleh al-Mutlak to the effect that the pupose was to bring together the views of various Iraqi parties that are fighting each other, with a view to holding a reconciliation meeting under international auspices. He quotes someone from one of the Kurdish parties, who was there, as talking about two (exactly two) representatives he called "from the other shore", referring in that way, says the journalist, to two Baathists who were there.

The journalist talks a little about reactions, and this is where he talks about the reported proposal for a truce.

A spokesman for the Al-Douri group of the Baath party denied the party was represented at the meetings, and said it is not bound by the results.

A source close to the Jihad and Reform Front, which has recently formed the Political Council for the Iraqi Resistance, said it has received invitations from the Americans to launch new negotiations, adding that [the negotiation proposal] was conditioned on a six-month truce, during which time the political process would intensify, and shooting would stop, while the Americans would stop arresting members of these groups and would release those held.

The sources said the factions have yet to reply to the truce-proposal, noting that lack of confidence in the Americans is hindering progress toward direct negotiations with them in the current stage, however others [no hint who this refers to, some person or persons other than the "source"] say that agreement on a truce would represent an implicit American recognition of the resistance.

Political parties and some tribal leaders, the journalist adds, have reacted favorably, on the basis this is the only way out of the crisis. The journalist concludes:

Knowledgeable people said the armed factions are studying the proposal for negotiations, and the prevailing view in those circles is that this [meaning negotiations] should be with the American forces, "in order to avoid confusion on the principle objective, which relates to the fate of the occupation and the recognition of the resistance, [so that it isn't] turned into a peace conference among Iraqis sponsored by the Americans".