Egypt To Propose Ceasefire At Upcoming Iraq Conference

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside

According to this article in the IHT, Egypt is planning to propose a 3-month ceasefire between Iraqi forces and "insurgents" at the upcoming security conference in Sharm El Sheikh:

Under the Egyptian proposal, the participants would "call on all parties to implement a cease fire for an initial period of three months to allow for a conducive environment to help foster the political process and national accord," according to a copy of the draft final resolutions, obtained by the Associated Press. It did not elaborate on how insurgents could be brought on board a cease-fire. The draft resolutions are still being finalized by senior diplomats from the participating countries, but an Iraqi official close to the discussions said the Egyptian proposal is a nonstarter.

Of course, this is unrealistic and will never happen. Response from an Iraqi Diplomat:

"This is not a good idea. How can we have a cease-fire with terrorists?" said the Iraqi diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions. Although the United States has been pushing al-Maliki to reach out for Sunni Arabs, it is highly unlikely that it would back a cease-fire call with insurgents who are battling U.S. forces as well as Iraqi troop.

Update: Another interesting article about the upcoming conference and its significance to U.S policy towards Iran.