Iraqi former Electricity Minister Ayham al-Samaray announced Wednesday that insurgents have set conditions for opening negotiations with the government and the US troops.

"The Iraqi national resistance sets several conditions for starting talks with the US troops. First is to set a timetable for the US withdrawal from Iraq, ranging from one to three years, depending on the time needed to rebuild the Iraqi army," Samaray said in a news conference.

"The second condition is to dissolve all parties' militias. The third is to halt all military offensives on the Iraqi cities which targeted the civilians such as Operation Lightning and Sword," he added.

Another condition was to "cancel all decisions by the former US administrator Paul Bremer and remove all their impacts such as the dissolving of the army and information ministry," he went on.

Other conditions included releasing all detainees in the Iraqi and US prisons except for those proved guilty and annulling the sectarian quotas in the political process, said Samaray.

The United States and the rest of the world should also take workable steps to prevent the neighboring countries from intervening in Iraq's internal affairs, Samaray said, adding that the insurgents' representatives called on the United Nations and Europe for more involvement in Iraq's reconstruction.

Finally, Washington should show its willingness to hold talks with the Iraqi resistance and guarantee their safety, he added.

Samaray also announced the forming of a new Iraqi political body, named "The National Council for Unity and rebuilding Iraq", which included the resistance force.

The new council is aimed at ensuring that "all Iraqis have the right to liberate their country by all means," he said.

"The council acknowledges the legitimacy of the Iraqi resistance which should be distinguished from all kinds of terrorism," he added.

Source: Xinhua