SECRET talks in which senior US 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 the country's insurgent commanders and the US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, together for the first time.
After months of delicate negotiations Dr Allawi, a former Baathist and a secular Shi'ite, persuaded three rebel leaders to travel to his villa in Amman, the Jordanian capital, to meet Mr Khalilzad for talks in January. "The meetings came about after persistent requests from the Americans. It wasn't because they loved us but because they didn't have a choice," said a rebel leader who took part in the talks.
The revelations came as a US Defence Department spokesman confirmed Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld flew to Iraq over the weekend in a surprise trip to thank troops for their service just days before he steps down from his post. Mr Rumsfeld resigned in November, the day after President George W. Bush's Republicans lost control of the US Congress with voter frustration over the Iraq war dominating the election. |