Outgoing US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad said he had held talks last year with representatives of major Sunni insurgent groups in a drive to bring them into politics, the New York Times reported Monday.

"There were discussions with the representatives of various groups in the aftermath of the elections, and during the formation of the government before the Samarra incident, and some discussions afterwards as well," Khalilzad was quoted as saying.

Khalilzad was the first American official to publicly acknowledge such talks, the report said.

A powerful explosion blew off the golden dome of a mosque in Samarra, one of the holiest Shiite shrines in Iraq on Feb. 22, 2006, further intensifying sectarian strife in the country.

The meetings began in early 2006 and were possibly the first attempts at sustained contact between senior American officials and the Sunni Arab insurgency, according to the report.

Khalilzad flew to Jordan for some of the talks, including those with the self-identified representatives of the Islamic Army of Iraq and the 1920 Revolution Brigades, two leading nationalist factions.

Khalilzad's willingness to approach Iraqi rebel groups seemed at odds with the public position of some Bush administration officials that the United States does not negotiate with insurgents.

It was not clear whether he had to seek permission from Washington before engaging in such talks, the report said.

US President George W. Bush has nominated Khalilzad to be US ambassador to the United Nations.

(Xinhua News Agency March 27, 2007)