SAMARRA, Iraq, Aug 30 (AFP) - Tribal leaders and former Iraqi army officers have presented Prime Minister Iyad Allawi with a 10-point deal for a halt to the insurgency plaguing the Sunni Muslim bastion of Samarra, a tribal source said.
"On Saturday, a delegation issued Baghdad with 10 conditions for the situation to return to normal in Samarra," said Taha al-Hindira, a former diplomat and member of the al-Bubaz tribe, which is influential in the city.
"We want the bridge shut by the American army, which cuts the city in two, to reopen, arrests and the confiscation of property to stop, and an amnesty for all those already sentenced," he said.
The delegation also said US troops should stay out of the city and called on the military to compensate people whose homes have been damaged in US counter-insurgency operations.
"In exchange, we promise to disarm the city" and security will remain in the hands of police and national guardsmen, he added.
He said Allawi agreed in principle with the delegation's conditions, but said the US military would also have to approve the package.
According to the Washington Post, Allawi has met privately with insurgent representatives, including those from Samarra, in a bid to convince them to accept an amnesty.
Although no deal has been reached so far, Allawi was quoted as saying some of the representatives are "changing horses... and taking the amnesty seriously".