BAGHDAD, Iraq — U.S. authorities, seeking to attract support and information from Iraqis who once backed Saddam Hussein, have decided to release about 500 prisoners who have not committed acts of violence, on the condition that local leaders vouch for them in writing.
"This is not a program for those with blood-stained hands," Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, the U.S.-led occupation power, said Tuesday night in a prepared statement about the prisoners, 100 of whom will be released Thursday and up to 400 more in the coming weeks. Bremer described the new policy as "a gesture to give impetus to those Iraqis who wish to reconcile with their countrymen."
At the same time, coalition officials said they were stepping up operations against what they called die-hard supporters of Hussein and his Baath Party leadership. They said they will release a list of low- to mid-level Hussein backers for whom they will offer rewards of up to $200,000 each.
Officials with the occupation authority, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the prisoner-release program as a carrot-and-stick policy and said it is an attempt to capitalize on the momentum of cooperation and information provided by pro-Hussein Iraqis and others since the former president’s capture on Dec. 13.
The officials said the new policy was not the result of pressure from Iraqi officials or other groups who have complained that the long-term detention of nonviolent Iraqi suspects has undermined public support for the occupation and Iraq’s postwar leaders.
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