Iraq Mulls Security Pact

Status of Forces Agreement will Determine U.S. Involvement in Iraq

Nov 15, 2008

Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki supports the security pact between the U.S. and Iraq, which would pull U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of 2011.

On November 15, 2008, Nouri al Maliki, a Shi'a, called on the Iraqi Parliament to pass a controversial "status of forces agreement" that has been revised several times this year. At first, Maliki would not openly agree to the pact, but changed his position after the U.S. accepted some key conditions. However, The pact still faces many obstacles.

Key Conditions: The Pact Not Perfect, But Acceptable, Says Maliki

Maliki did not accept the agreement until the language prohibited U.S. troops from staying in Iraqi cities after summer 2009, and laid out restrictions on U.S. troops entering Iraqi homes. These were major elements of the pact for which Maliki pushed and were eventually conceded by American negotiators.

The issue of immunity for U.S. soldiers suspected of wrongdoing was excluded from this version, to Maliki's disappointment. The current language does not require Americans to be tried in the Iraqi court system for any war crimes they may have committed. For instance, U.S. soldiers will be granted immunity for crimes in connection with the scandal of Abu Ghraib.

To Maliki, the pact as it stands is preferable to another UN security council mandate to extend the stay of U.S. troops. Other supporters of the pact include the Kurds and much of the ruling Shi'ite alliance. But he has more persuading to do.

Obstacles: Opposing Parties and Factions

The most outspoken protestor of the process of approval is Iraq Vice President Tariq Hashimi, a Sunni. Hashimi has demanded the pact be subject to referendum, beyond the vote in Parliament. Given the unpopularity of the agreement, a referendum may doom the it.

Others in opposition include many important Sunni politicians as well as Shi'a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical leader of the Mahdi army. Passage of the security agreement could result in renewed fighting between Mahdi forces and U.S. troops. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the senior religious leader among Iraqi Shi'as, refuses to sign if the pact compromises Iraqi sovereignty.

Political Legacies

What unfolds in the coming weeks could have as much to do with individual political legacies as it does with the security situation in Iraq. Maliki worries about being remembered as the Iraqi leader who gave in to foreign interests, while U.S. President Bush works to leave a more positive legacy on Iraq before he exits the office on January 20th, 2009. If both countries, through crafty negotiation, manage to work in the best interests of civilians and security forces on both sides, perhaps political legacies will work themselves out.

Source:

The copyright of the article Iraq Mulls Security Pact in Iraq is owned by Laura Kaufmann. Permission to republish Iraq Mulls Security Pact in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.