US/Insurgent Temporary Truce

This is interesting from the Washington Times (free sub):

After months of painstaking dialogue, U.S. officials have persuaded most of the main insurgent groups to cease violence for today's election and its immediate aftermath, U.S. officials said yesterday. In return, the U.S. military agreed, despite severe internal disagreements, to halt "offensive operations" during the period, U.S. Embassy officials said on the condition of anonymity.
...The decision to negotiate, taken by the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. George Casey, met with resistance from several of his fellow officers. It was then decided to make no public statement, but simply to act on the new orders in secret.

Just who is involved in these negotiations?

Yesterday, the U.S. military issued a statement in response to a query from The Washington Times. It mentioned "occasional meetings," but said the meetings were "with Sunni leaders -- not insurgency leaders with blood on their hands." The U.S. official said, "That only rules out a few individuals, and even then they can send 'cleaner' representatives to talks with us."

And what of Al Qaeda?

An Internet posting from Zarqawi's al Qaeda in Iraq organization this month declared the election a "crusader" plot, but, to the puzzlement of many observers, included no call for any attack on the election system or on voters.