The Iraqi government today said it had been approached by a band of rebels seeking peace talks.
The administration repeated its willingness to negotiate with groups which renounce violence and had not killed Iraqis. Government spokesman Laith Kubba declined to give details of which group had come forward.
"Many have been trying to open channels to talk in recent weeks," Mr Kubba said.
"Some were calling directly, saying 'We did not kill any Iraqis but took up arms to resist the occupation and want to participate in the political process’.
"To those who have not carried out any killings of Iraqis and who are willing to give up violence and intend to take part in the political process, the door is open."
While many nationalist guerrillas concentrate their attacks on the mainly US occupying forces, high-profile groups like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al Qaeda would appear to be excluded from dealings with the government because they have mounted assaults on Iraqi civilians and security forces.
The Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari has often said it is willing to talk to rebels who stop fighting.
Most insurgents, who have killed more than 850 people in the months since the government was formed, are drawn from Saddam Hussein's once-dominant Sunni minority. Some, like Zarqawi himself, come from other Arab countries.
Menwhile, British troops today arrested a group of Iraqi civilians they suspect were involved in the killing of two UK soldiers last month.
The arrest of "less than five" Iraqi men took place without resistance in Al Marjarr Al Kabira, close to Al Amarah, southern Iraq. Troops also found equipment for making bombs including 130 detonators.
The Ministry of Defence said those arrested were suspected of involvement in the deaths of Guardsman Anthony John Wakefield and Lance Corporal Alan Brackenbury, who died from roadside bomb attacks in two incidents in May.
Guardsman Wakefield's death became a political issue after his wife publicly blamed Prime Minister Tony Blair for her husband’s death.
Britain has around 8,500 troops in Iraq, the second-biggest contingent behind the United States.
Agencies