Iraqi peace talks held in Finland

HELSINKI, Finland, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Representatives from rival groups in Iraq are striving for middle ground via peace principles used in Northern Ireland and South Africa, it was reported.

Sixteen delegates from Sunni and Shiite tribes reached an agreement after four days of secret talks in Finland, Britain's Guardian reported Tuesday.

The delegates studied lessons learned from successful peacemaking efforts in Northern Ireland and South Africa, said a statement released late Monday from Crisis Management Initiative, the reconciliation group that facilitated the talks.

The talks were convened by the John W. McCormack graduate school of policy studies at the University of Massachusetts in Boston and organized by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, The Guardian reported.

It was not clear how much influence the tribal representatives have in the Iraqi political process, The Guardian reported. Iraqi government officials said they welcome the talks but were not involved in them.