Senior U.S. officials have been stepping up discussions with Iraqi opposition groups, including several newly prominent in U.S. thinking, as the Bush administration proceeds with plans for toppling Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. In one unpublicized meeting, a U.S. team, including a senior CIA official, met secretly in Germany last month with Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani, leaders of two Kurdish parties based in northern Iraq that allied with the United States after the Gulf War in 1991, according to sources familiar with the session. ... Even as it expands its contacts with Iraqi exiles, the administration is deeply divided over which groups to court and how helpful they could be in any move against Hussein. ... a military strike in Iraq now not envisioned until at least next winter ... ... The unpublicized meetings provide a rare glimpse at the influential but largely unreported role General Wayne A. Downing, former commander of all U.S. Special Operations forces, has assumed since he joined the White House after Sept. 11 to head its counterterrorism efforts. ... A possible invasion of Iraq could involve several roles for the Iraqi opposition ... Also exploring the option of encouraging elements of the Iraqi military to mutiny against Hussein ... Talks With Iraqi Opposition Intensify | 
