There has been a lot in the news about the possibility of an "amnesty" to local Iraqi insurgents who only have American blood on their hands. The Bush Administration may not like this but may well accept it as part of an Iraqi plan for peace. The Times has this story about negotiations that just might put an end to this war. The 28 point package may also call for a timetable for an American withdrawal.

The Government will promise a finite, UN-approved timeline for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq; a halt to US operations against insurgent strongholds; an end to human rights violations, including those by coalition troops; and compensation for victims of attacks by terrorists or Iraqi and coalition forces.

The deal, which has been seen by The Times, aims to divide Iraqi insurgents from foreign fighters linked to al-Qaeda. It builds on months of secret talks involving Jalal al-Talabani, the Iraqi President, Zalmay Khalilzad, the US Ambassador, and seven Sunni insurgent groups.

As American forces battle insurgents in Baghdad, and the Iraqi goernment declares a state if emergency this may be our last chance for an honorable withdrawal from Iraq.

The Government intends to form a committee to distinguish between groups that can be considered legitimate resistance and those that are beyond the pale. “For those that defended their country against foreign troops, we need to open a new page . . . They did not mean to destabilise Iraq. They were defending Iraqi soil,” said Adnan Ali, a senior member of the Dawa party of Nouri alMaliki, the Prime Minister.

Talk on an amnesty for insurgents and language like "legitimate resistance" and insurgents "defending Iraqi soil" will not go over well with Conservatives in this country. We should keep in mind the friendly advice of formerIsraeli Prime Minister nearly two years ago:

"There's no way to win an occupation. It's just a matter of choosing the size of your humiliation."