[JURIST] Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki [BBC profile; official website, in Arabic] addressed the Iraqi parliament Sunday on a new national reconciliation plan [JURIST report] which he hopes will end the Sunni insurgency and sectarian killings that have hindered reconstruction efforts in the county. According to a dispatch from Baghdad by Voices of Iraq news agency, the plan sets out some 24 guiding principles and policies, including (quoting VOI):

• Pardoning the detainees who were not involved in terrorist crimes and actions or crimes against humanity and forming committees to release the innocent as fast as possible. Those willing to take advantage of the amnesty should denounce violence and pledge to support the elected national government and abide by the law.
• Banning human rights violations, improving prison conditions, punishing those responsible for torture and allowing national and international organizations to visit prisons and check the prisoners’ conditions.
• Discussing with the Multi-National troops mechanisms to stop human rights violations during military operations.
• Reconsidering the Baath Uprooting Authority and making it accountable before the law and judiciary to give it a professional and constitutional nature.Activating resolutions to support victims of the ex-regime and compensate them and provide the means to improve the living conditions and services in the deprived area in all of Iraq.
• Removing all obstacles that hinder the participation of any Iraqi citizen or group that did not commit any crimes and want to work upon the constitution in order to build Iraq.
• Compensating the victims of terrorist actions, military operations and violence.
• Activating the role of the judiciary to punish the criminals and making it the sole authority in dealing with the crimes and symbols of the ex-regime, the terrorists and killing and kidnapping gangs.
• Making the armed forces independent of the influence of the competing political powers and not allowing the army to interfere in the political affairs. Solving the issue of militias and illegal armed groups and handling the problem on the political, economic and security levels.
• Arrests and searches should be done according to legal warrants issued before the raid and arrest operations… and the military operations should be launched according to official orders.

Prior to presenting his plan, Maliki met with Sunni leader and parliamentary speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani [Wikipedia profile], who said Friday that Maliki's proposal may not be a "magic solution," but marks a useful effort to bring opposing groups together to rebuild Iraq. Reuters has more. VOI has local coverage.