State Department: Expanded amnesty should include insurgents who kill soldiers

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States reiterated its opposition to an amnesty in Iraq only for insurgents who had killed US soldiers, as Baghdad studies a national reconciliation program.

Tom Casey, a US State Department spokesman, told reporters that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has said that "some form of amnesty is potentially part of this national reconciliation process."

"We've been supportive of prime minister Maliki's efforts to build on national reconciliation," Casey said.

"We've also made clear, and you've heard us say this before, that as that process moves forward there shouldn't be any distinction made between those people who are responsible for attacks on US or coalition forces and those who've made attacks on Iraqis," he said.

Casey's response was to a question based on a Financial Times report Monday that said Washington is pressing the Iraqi government to issue a "broad" amnesty for insurgents.

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US presses Iraq for broad amnesty for insurgents