Iraqi leader denies rebel talks

According to the BBC the Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani, has said that "the Iraqi government has nothing to do with the negotiations with insurgents," and that if the Americans wanted to do so it was "up to them."

This is not good news.

The negotiations story, which we have been following closely here at Newshog, had been confirmed by both Donald Rumsfeld and Tony Blair. Now, with Talibani's denial of Iraqi government involvement there are a couple of possibilities.

Either the Iraqi government were never involved and the US/UK were doing an end-run around them and trying to explore possible escape routes - in which case the Iraqis will hardly be in a position to believe any Presidential promises to "stay the course"...

Or the Iraqi government was really involved but Talibani cannot admit it in case his own people, many of whom are committed to deep sectarian and tribal divides, oust him. In which case, we can hardly trust that the Iraqi government is truly interested in representative democracy for all and should view any Presidential words tonight to that effect sceptically.

Either way, not good at all.