Off and on, there have been reports for two years of sub rosa talks between U.S. authorities and the Iraqi resistance. They're back, and it couldn't come at a more opportune time. From the London Times:

American forces are negotiating an amnesty with Sunni insurgents in Iraq to try to defuse the nascent civil war and pave the way for disarmament of Shia militias, The Times has learnt.

The tactic marks a dramatic reversal of policy by the US military, which blocked attempts to pardon insurgents with American blood on their hands after handing over sovereignty to a secular Iraqi Government in June 2004.

Of course, amnesty is not enough. The principal demand of the insurgency is for a timetable for an American withdrawal. But it's a starting point for a discussion.