Armed Groups Respond to Olive Branch

President Jalal Talabani says there has been a positive response from armed groups to the reconciliation plan put forward by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The president said many armed groups have come out in support of the plan – but not Saddam Hussein's group or al-Qaeda. The leader of the [Shia] Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, says he has no objection to including in the amnesty individuals who have fought against the Americans, but he rules out al-Qaeda and pro-Saddam groups. Member of parlt Mahmood Osman said the president’s negotiations with armed groups would bolster the plan for national reconciliation.