Loopholes in Iraq peace plan could help militants

BAGHDAD, June 30 (Reuters) A long awaited reconciliation plan that hopes to stop three years of bloodshed in Iraq disappointed some when it excluded all militants, but loopholes in the plan ensure a possible amnesty could be very broad.

Officials behind the plan have said it aims for a dialogue and possible peace deal with all militants except those who have personally killed anyone from Iraqi civilians to U S soldiers.

But a slow judicial system and the intelligence difficulties of a guerrilla war make it difficult to prove personal involvement in killings, leaving the way open for the bulk of insurgents to enter into a dialogue, they said.

In general, few militants are convicted of carrying out attacks despite daily violence.

Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki unveiled his 24-point initiative to parliament on Sunday and instantly received backing from the head of Iraq's largest Sunni bloc Adnan al- Dulaimi, who urged all Iraqis to work to ensure its success.

Maliki will have to walk a tight-rope in order to ensure enough militants are drawn in to make his plan successful but has to remain wary not to alienate his ally the United States, which has lost more than 2,500 troops since the 2003 invasion.

Maliki has repeatedly ruled out any dialogue with al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein loyalists, now leading the insurgency.

Earlier this week, he told a group of U S newspapers that insurgents who had killed Americans would be not be included in the amnesty after the vaguely-worded plan stirred some controversy in the United States.

PRESSURE In a sign of the pressures Maliki is facing, U S senator Charles Schumer described the idea of an amnesty to people who killed occupying troops in Iraq as ''vile''.

On Wednesday, Maliki told state television he welcomed groups that had shown a willingness to lay down their weapons and join the political process.

''I am optimistic and I confirm that a lot of those who were involved in acts under the name of resistance ... have directly contacted us,'' he said.

Sunni leader Dulaimi said the plan will only succeed if insurgents are tackled at the same time as Shi'ite militias, whom Sunnis blame for attacks on their community.

He said ruling out anti-American fighters at a time when the plan is still in its infancy could kill it altogether.

''The plan is still in its early stages, we still haven't produced the details. There have been amnesties throughout Iraq's history for people who have committed the biggest crimes,'' Dulaimi told Reuters.

Other Sunnis, whose community is fighting an insurgency against the Shi'ite-led government, poured scepticism.

Hussein al-Falluji, a politician with the Iraqi Accordance Front, said there needed to be a genuine intention to spark a real reaction from insurgents.

''The strongest of these groups announced their rejection for this initiative since the beginning. What is left are illusive groups who only exist in the minds of the government,'' he said.

Although the insurgency has killed far more Iraqis than foreign soldiers, Iraqi politicians behind the drive hope agreements with some militant groups will help isolate and expose the radical elements of the insurgency.

Falluji also dismissed as ''media talk'' reports that 11 militant groups have offered an immediate halt to all attacks if the United States agrees to withdraw its troops in two years.

REUTERS SRS BST0854