Iraq amnesty for terrorists?

The United States isn't the only nation considering offering amnesty to lawbreakers – Iraq's prime minister says certain terrorist groups in the country will be off the hook as part of a proposed 28-point national reconciliation plan.

Mahmud Othman, an Iraqi lawmaker, says Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's plan will be presented to Parliament tomorrow. It aims to "offer amnesty to everyone except war criminals and those who have killed innocent Iraqis," Othman told Agence France-Presse.

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"The plan aims to open dialogue with all insurgent groups except al-Qaida and Saddamists, and to disarm militias," Othman, a Kurd, is quoted as saying.

Part of the plan sets up 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."

Othman says the plan also offers compensation to families of civilians killed by coalition forces.

According to AFP, Sunni Arab lawmaker Salim Abdullah expressed some reservations about the plan, saying amnesty should extend to as many armed groups as possible.

"National reconciliation will be open to everyone and this will be explicitly stated by the prime minister when he presents it," President Jalal Talabani is quoted as saying.

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Some members of Parliament from Maliki's camp are skeptical of the plan.

"No reconciliation with terrorists," Qassem Dawood, a member of Maliki's parliamentary bloc said.

Meanwhile, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today called for the removal of U.S. troops from Iraq, saying the Republicans "don't have a plan."

"'Stay the course' is not a plan. Saying the problems in Iraq will be left to the next president, is not a plan," Dean said in a radio address.

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