One of Iraq's largest Sunni Arab groups endorsed the prime minister's national reconciliation plan on Tuesday, and the government announced new benefits to help freed detainees return to normal lives.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced his new national reconciliation plan during the parliament session in Baghdad. Ten Sunni Arab students have been kidnapped in Baghdad and at least 32 people killed across Iraq one day after Maliki unveiled a peace plan aimed at easing the violence. [AFP]

 

The political moves came a day after bombs killed at least 40 people at markets in two Iraqi cities, while key lawmakers said seven Sunni Arab insurgent groups offered the government a conditional truce.

A suicide car bomb also struck a busy gas station in the northern city of Kirkuk on Tuesday, killing at least three people and wounding 17, police Col. Adel Abdullah said. Fifteen cars were charred by the flames.

A U.S. Marine and a soldier were killed in separate attacks Tuesday west and south of Baghdad, while another U.S. soldier died the day before in the volatile Anbar province, the military said. The deaths raised to 2,528 the number of U.S. military service members who have died since the war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

In the first tangible measure after the reconciliation plan was announced on Sunday, the council of ministers said government employees who had been detained and recently released will be reinstated to their jobs and their service should be considered uninterrupted in consideration of bonuses, promotion and retirement privileges.

The ministers said freed students will be allowed to return to school to take their final exams and will not be failed for the 2005-2006 school year despite time missed.

The measures were decided at the council's normal session on June 21 "to pave the way for the prime minister's reconciliation initiative," according to a statement released Monday.

It said the benefits could only be enjoyed once by former detainees and would not apply if somebody is arrested again.

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