Iraq President Says He'd Talk to Baathists

"CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Iraq's president said Sunday he was willing to talk with opposition figures and members of Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baath Party, and he called on the Sunni-led insurgency to lay down its arms and join the political process.

However, President Jalal Talabani insisted at a reconciliation conference that the Shiite- and Kurdish-dominated government would not meet with Baath Party members who are participating in the Sunni-led insurgency attacking Iraqi and U.S.-led forces in the country.

"I am the president of Iraq and I am responsible for all Iraqis. If those who describe themselves as Iraqi resistance want to contact me, they are welcome," Talabani told reporters at the U.S.-backed and Arab League-sponsored conference. "I am committed to listen to them, even those who are criminals and are on trial.""
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