IRAQI Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki will offer an amnesty to some rebel groups and call for the disarmament of militias as part of a 28-point national reconciliation plan to stem violence, a politician said overnight. Mahmud Othman said the plan, to be presented to parliament later today, aims to "offer amnesty to everyone except war criminals and those who have killed innocent Iraqis". "The plan aims to open dialogue with all insurgent groups except Al-Qaeda and Saddamists, and to disarm militias," Mr Othman said. He said the plan demands a "timetable for the build-up of armed forces to control the security situation so that the role of coalition forces will come to an end". Mr Othman said the reconciliation plan will offer compensation to families of civilians killed by "coalition troops and those who have been wrongly detained, especially civil servants who lost out on career opportunities". The plan will also focus on improving Iraqis' standard of living, he said.
Minister of State for National Security Shirwan al-Waili, a Shiite close to Maliki, welcomed the plan, calling it "a broad policy with political, social and economic ramifications" and it "addressed the entire Iraqi society". Sunni Arab MP Salim Abdullah also welcomed it, but said the "devil was in the details". He said it will only work if the amnesty extends to as many armed groups willing to enter dialogue as possible. "The opportunity is ripe to attract all national forces," he said.