Maliki leads objections to US troop proposal

Maliki leads objections to US troop proposal

After months of negotiations, US and Iraqi negotiators recently drew up a draft agreement over whether US troops would fall under Iraqi law. Robert Gates, defence secretary, last week said the agreement would protect US troops.

But Ali al-Dabbagh, the senior Iraqi government spokesman, on Tuesday said the cabinet had "unanimously agreed" that the draft agreement needed to be amended to "raise the agreement to a nationally acceptable level".

He did not specify what changes the council sought, but one participant in the meeting said Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraq prime minister, told the cabinet that the accord was unacceptable.

"He made observations on the need for further changes because he wants to market it" publicly, said the participant, adding that Mr Maliki said the accord "would be difficult, as it stands, to pass through parliament".

While some US officials believe Iraqi politicians are posturing for political reasons, others have expressed concern that the accord will not be signed. "We are clearly running out of time," Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told reporters during a visit to Europe. When the UN mandate runs out at year's end, Iraqi security forces "will not be ready to provide for their security. And in that regard there is great potential for losses of significant consequence".

US officials believe Iraq is moving towards stability after five years of violence that has left hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and more than 4,180 Americans dead. But while attacks have dropped significantly over the past year, insurgent groups still operate and political tensions could erupt into renewed fighting.

Mr Dabbagh said ministers had been asked to submit the amendments they wanted "in order for them to be included in the negotiations with the American side". But a second participant in the cabinet meeting said the objections involved "many articles". One of them dealt with the issue of legal jurisdiction over US troops in Iraq, he said.

The Pentagon insists on maintaining jurisdiction over its troops in most countries. But, in a concession to the Iraqis, US officials agreed in the draft accord to allow Iraqi courts to try soldiers who commit serious crimes while off-duty and outside their bases.

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