European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 28, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday March 28 2007 stars and stripes pages Khalil Zad says he held talks with insurgents meetings with groups an attempt to pull them away from Al Aida stars and stripes the outgoing us ambassador to Iraq met with men he believed represented major insurgent groups in a bid to move from Vio Lence to politics he said in an inter View with the new York times published on monday Zalma a Haluzan is the first american official to acknowledge holding talks with insurgent groups which seemed at Odds with the Public position of some Bush administration officials that the United states does not negotiate with insurgents the times re port read according to Khalil Zad the meetings began i Early 2006 and were sometimes held in neighbor ing Jordan representatives of in surgent groups called the islamic army of Iraq and the 1920 revolution brigades were among those he met the times said that Khalil Zad declined to detail the meetings but that other officials said they had ended by the summer us officials have previously acknowledged on background that meet Ings with insurgents began in late 2005 but that was never publicly confirmed in the times interview Kha lil Zad also repeated his View that the american and iraqi govern ments should consider granting amnesty to insurgents this is something that we and iraqis the government will do to Gether and there Are various types of amnesties but the Funda mental Point the goal of bringing the War to an end the most important tribute we could pay to our sol Diers who have lost their lives Here would be that the cause they fought for would be embraced and accepted by their former enemies by those who fought them he was quoted As saying Khalil Zad leaves his Iraq Post this week to become us ambassador to the United nations he is being followed by Ryan Crocker who most recently served As ambassador to Pakistan at a final press conference in Baghdad on monday Khalil Zad said the goal of meeting with insurgents was to turn the so called reconcilable insurgents against Al Aida in Iraq the meetings involved both us diplomatic and military personnel he said no con tact was made with Al Aida in Iraq he said in the press conference Kha Luzand said talks were ongoing they Are continuing to take place he said and i think one of the challenges is How to separate More and More groups away from Al Aida we have talked to groups who have not participated in the Politi Cal process who have ties with some of the insurgent groups who Are reconcilable insurgents he said the terrorists Are irreconcilable there cannot be reconciliation with Al Aida they have to be brought to Justice but there Are groups that resisted the democratic change the change in Iraq it is our goal to get those groups to be reconciled to embrace this new Iraq and that will be a Victory a Success for the change that has taken place he added the associated press contributed to this report in resort Hanoi an iraqi policeman stands at the site of a car bombing monday in Central Baghdad two people were killed and four were wounded in the bombing 2 killed in clashes sparked by attack on sunni mosque by Kim Gamel the associated press Baghdad authorities in is Kandar Yah 30 Miles South of Baghdad imposed an indefinite curfew after two people were killed and two others wounded in sectarian clashes sparked by an attack monday by suspected Shi Ite militants on a sunni mosque police said iraqi and us forces sealed off the area where the mosque is located but clashes erupted else where in the town the mosque was slightly dam aged by rocket propelled Gre Nades fired by the assailants in Mahaleel a mainly shiite town 35 Miles South of Baghdad a bomb planted near a sunni mosque went off monday morn ing damaging the building but causing no casualties police said the targeting of the mosques came one Day after suspected Shi Ite militants attacked a sunni mosque in Hasa a town near both Iskandar Yah and Mahaleel the attack was in apparent retaliation for a suicide truck bombing against a shiite mosque that killed 11 people on saturday also in Hasa aides to prime minister Nouri Almalik have said that washing ton has signalled that he must make Progress on a series of Benchmark legislative and Politi Cal measures by june 30 or face a withdrawal of american support for his government 4 the United states has denied making the threat but departing us ambassador Zalma Kha lil Zad was Clear monday that Almalik was under heavy us pressure to move rapidly on Sev eral issues especially a Law that would provide a fair distribution of iraqi Oil wealth among All eth Nic and sectarian groups a Mea sure that is especially important to the White House he also said the iraqis need to act on political and sectarian reconciliation Between sunnis and shiites and on amending the Constitution to make it More Palat Able to the sunnis despite repeated promises of Quick action from the iraqis and heavy pressure from the americans those Mea sures still await action in Parlia ment us iraqi forces aim to expand Security zones by Joseph Giordono stars and stripes american and iraqi forces have launched a major operation in ramada designed to expand Security zones in the contested City officials said Mon Day the operation focuses on Western ramada and includes troops from task Force 19 infantry and iraqi police and soldiers it is the fourth such Large scale Clearing operation conducted in the City since february officials said and Aims to create a permanent presence of iraqi and american troops where there previously was none this operation will Benefit the people of ramada by establishing Security and providing Basic services and necessities us army col John Charlton commander of 1st brigade combat team 3rd infantry division said in a news release has intimidated the people of ramada through murder kidnapping and the destruction of their City the sons of Anbar Are Here to establish and maintain Security Charlton said referring to iraqi troops specifically recruited in and deployed in the province other us military officials were Quick to say that the operation was not a Falluca style Battle for the City in that Large operation civilians were cleared from the City and american troops battled insurgents House House in pitched fighting according to an australian television news Crew embedded with us forces in ramada the new operation targets the Aliskan District of the City and included Apache attack helicopters the report quoted army maj Dave Christensen As saying there had been several troops wounded already including two americans and two iraqis one iraqi police officer was reported killed ramada Long one of the centers of the sunni insurgency in Western Iraq Falls under the army 1st brigade combat team 3rd infantry division but the troops in the City Are a mix of army marines and Navy personnel including Many special operations units before february the City and its surrounding areas fell under the German based 1st brigade 1st armoured division that brigade has been credited with a grinding determined Effort to establish com Bat outposts in territory previously ceded to the insurgents email Joseph Giordono at