Leading Iraqi Sunni clerics broker peace deal between insurgents, US force

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-03/02/content_2640017.htm

RAMADI, Iraq, March 2 (Xinhuanet) -- An influential Iraqi Sunni religious body brokered a peace deal between the US forces and insurgents in one of the country's most volatile areas, a source from the Sunni body said on Wednesday.

"The Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS) held clandestine negotiations with the leaders of the Iraqi resistance on a possibleceasefire in the Anbar province," a source in the AMS told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"We all agreed that the situation in Ramadi would be calmed by replacing Iraqi security forces selected from people of Anbar instead of the US troops,” the source said.

<snip>

Witnesses said a US base east of Ramadi was attacked Tuesday night by 20 Katyusha rockets, and flames of fire and smoke was seenover the base. Enditem

As predicted by Robert Fisk.

I'm cautiously optimistic...

My god it's almost funny.

No one else is reporting this. Xinhua is known for not vetting rumors well.

they use AP and AFP links all of the time.

Simply using AP and AFP as links doesn't make you credible. When Xinhua reports a story that no one else is carrying, you run about a 50% chance of it being true.

I'm sure that a Xinhua based reporter had a source tell them this. But their journalistic vetting criteria are low, and have been since they started trying to pose as a legitimate source of international news. Which is not to say the story isn't true. Just that I won't believe it until I see it more widely promulgated.

the IRA. I'm sorry ... Sinn Fein.

Sinn Fein : IRA :: Ass. of Muslim Scholars : insurgency