Iraqi President Jalal Talabani distanced his government Tuesday from US talks with insurgent leaders, insisting they were strictly a US affair despite protestations from Washington that it was acting only as a facilitator.”The Iraqi government has nothing to do with the negotiations with insurgents,” Talabani told a press conference marking the first anniversary of Iraq’s recovery of its sovereignty from the US-led occupation authority. “If the Americans are negotiating with them, it’s up to them.” US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had confirmed on Sunday that US officials had held talks with insurgent groups, but he insisted that Washington’s role was limited to that of broker for the Iraqi government.
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