Baghdad, Iraq ? Iraq’s fractious political groups could form a coalition government within weeks, the country’s president said Saturday, as U.S. officials have increased post-election contacts with disaffected Sunni Arabs linked to the insurgency.

Jalal Talabani, Iraq’s Kurdish president, offered a timeframe on the formation of a government after meeting with visiting British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who said Iraqis remain optimistic about their future despite suffering through a violent week that saw nearly 200 people killed in two days, including 11 U.S. troops.

In an effort to help draw Sunni Arabs into the political process as a way to dampen the violence, U.S. officials for months have been communicating directly or through channels with members of the disaffected minority connected to the insurgency.

A Western diplomat on Saturday reported a recent “uptick” in those contacts.

Those insurgents “sense that the political process does protect the Sunni community’s interest,” the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

A similar “uptick” in communication occurred after last January’s parliamentary elections, he said.

A U.S. official said the coalition does not talk to foreign terrorists or supporters of Saddam Hussein’s ousted regime but said it was important to isolate extremists from the broader Sunni Arab community. He also spoke only on condition of anonymity.

Meeting with Straw in Baghdad, Talabani said Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish political groups had agreed in principle on a national unity government that could be formed within a few weeks. Western diplomats in Baghdad have speculated that a government could be in place by the second half of February.

“Everyone is expecting to have it as soon as possible, but you know the devil is in the details,” Talabani said.

He said it should be easier to form a new government than it was after the Jan. 30 elections last year, when it took nearly three months. “We are expecting within weeks, God willing, we will be able to form the government.”

Violence was greatly diminished on Saturday. Four people were killed in attacks around the country, and police found the bodies of four females – blindfolded and handcuffed – who apparently had been shot to death in Baghdad, officials said.