Iraqis ready to talk peace with rebels

THE Iraqi government said yesterday that some rebels had approached it looking for peace terms and repeated its willingness to negotiate with groups which renounced violence and which had not killed Iraqis.

Government spokesman Laith Kubba, speaking at a regular news conference, gave no details of who had made contact.

While many nationalist guerrillas concentrate their attacks on US occupying forces, high-profile groups like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s al-Qaida in Iraq would appear to be excluded from any dealings with the government because they have mounted bloody assaults on Iraqi civilians and security forces.