Originally Posted by Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers are conducting secret talks with Iraq's Sunni insurgents on ways to end fighting there, Time magazine reported on Sunday, citing Pentagon and other sources.

The Bush administration has said it would not negotiate with Iraqi fighters and there is no authorized dialogue but the U.S. is having "back-channel" communications with certain insurgents, unidentified Washington and Iraqi sources told the magazine.

The magazine cited a secret meeting between two members of the U.S. military and an Iraqi negotiator, a middle-aged former member of Saddam Hussein's regime and the senior representative of what he called the nationalist insurgency.

A U.S. officer tried to get names of other insurgent leaders while the Iraqi complained the new Shi'ite-dominated government was being controlled by Iran, according to an account of the meeting provided by the Iraqi negotiator.

"We are ready to work with you," the Iraqi negotiator said, according to Time.

Iraqi insurgent leaders not aligned with al Qaeda ally Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi told the magazine several nationalist groups composed of what the Pentagon calls "former regime elements" have become open to negotiating.

The insurgents said their aim was to establish a political identity that can represent disenfranchised Sunnis.

The White House had no immediate comment on the report.

Controversial Iraqi politician Ahmad Chalabi said on Sunday the outcome of any negotiations between insurgents and the U.S. military would not be binding for a new Iraqi government.

"I know nothing about such negotiations. Those negotiations will in no way bind the elected government of Iraq," he said. "The issue here is not negotiating with the killers who are killing the Iraqi people," he added in an interview with ABC's "This Week."

Originally Posted by rdeyes

lol amazing how fast something secret isnt kept so secret ..

"We are ready to work with you," the Iraqi negotiator said, according to Time.


translates into ... we're sorry for acting up

Originally Posted by ninty9

You truly think the insurgents are losing?

At last count, 1345 Americans have died since official combat operations ended.

To me, that sounds like the insurgents are winning.

Did anyone in the US really expect to lose upwards of 1500 troops in Iraq? In Afghanistan the US has lost 153 troops. I'm betting that most people in America though that Iraq would be the same. Maybe even say double the numbers from Afghanistan. But 1400?

Americans are being blown up every day, and there's nothing anyone can do about it unless the US wants to pull out.

As for what the Iraqi people want...I think its pretty clear that they did not support the invasion of their own country in the beginning, nor do they support it now.

Originally Posted by ninty9

You truly think the insurgents are losing?

At last count, 1345 Americans have died since official combat operations ended.

To me, that sounds like the insurgents are winning.

Did anyone in the US really expect to lose upwards of 1500 troops in Iraq? In Afghanistan the US has lost 153 troops. I'm betting that most people in America though that Iraq would be the same. Maybe even say double the numbers from Afghanistan. But 1400?

Americans are being blown up every day, and there's nothing anyone can do about it unless the US wants to pull out.

As for what the Iraqi people want...I think its pretty clear that they did not support the invasion of their own country in the beginning, nor do they support it now.

Originally Posted by ninty9

[quote:56797]

theres no way to prove how many of the insurgents have died , but im certain that alot more than america has lost,