BAGHDAD, March 31 (UPI) -- Iraqi leaders are keeping up contacts with insurgent groups to convince them to join the political process, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said Saturday.
"Some organizations that consider themselves as part of the national resistance have contacted us and expressed readiness to drop the arms and join the political process, and we have welcomed them," Talabani said.
The Iraqi leader, speaking at a ceremony welcoming new ambassadors from Japan and the United States, also praised resolutions by delegates to the Arab summit this week denouncing terrorism and backing the national reconciliation process, the Kuwait News Agency reported.
Talabani maintained that the Shiite Mahdi militia is no longer active in any major way in Sunni regions. He also gave kudos to Sunni tribes that have worked to stop armed terrorists and al-Qaida operatives.
