Senior Iraqi political and religious leaders have called for a timetable for the withdrawal of US-led forces.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa is flanked by Harith al-Dari of the mainly Sunni Muslim Clerics Association (L) and the head of the Iraqi constitution committee Hamam Hammoudi (R).
A communique - issued by Shia, Kurdish and Sunni leaders at an Arab League-sponsored reconciliation conference in Egypt - was released in an apparent attempt to reach out to the Sunni Arab community.
The conference was attended by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Iraqi Shia and Kurdish lawmakers, as well as leading Sunni politicians.
The statement condemned terrorism but was also a clear acknowledgement of the Sunni position that insurgents should not be labelled as terrorists if their operations do not target innocent civilians or institutions designed to provide for the welfare of Iraqi citizens.
The leaders agreed on "calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops according to a timetable, through putting in place an immediate national program to rebuild the armed forces . . . control the borders and the security situation" and end terror attacks.
Sunni leaders have been pressing the Shia-majority government to agree to a timetable for the withdrawal of all foreign troops. The statement recognises that goal but did not lay down a specific time - reflecting instead the government's stance that Iraqi security forces must be built up first.
Iraq's Interior Minister, Bayan Jabr, suggested yesterday that US-led forces should be able to leave Iraq by the end of next year, saying the one-year extension of the mandate for the multinational force in Iraq by the UN Security Council this month could be the last.
In Egypt, the final communique's attempt to define terrorism omitted any reference to attacks against US or Iraqi forces. Delegates from across the political and religious spectrum said the omission was intentional.
AP