Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has raised the prospect of setting a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.
Talks are continuing on a new security deal, but the US has said it opposes setting any timetable for withdrawal.
The UN mandate under which US troops stay in Iraq expires at the end 2008.
Correspondents say Mr Maliki may have an easier time getting the support of Iraqi MPs by proposing a deal which includes a withdrawal timetable.
US and Iraqi governments have been negotiating a detailed bilateral Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) since March and it was supposed to be concluded this month.
Many Iraqis want to see an end to the American military presence in their country, but are fearful of the consequences for security.
In violence on Monday, a female suicide bomber killed nine people and wounded 12 others in an attack on an Iraqi market, police said.
Respect for sovereignty
A statement from Mr Maliki's office quoted him as telling Arab ambassadors in the UAE: "The direction we are taking is to have a memorandum of understanding either for the departure of the forces or to have a timetable for their withdrawal."
"The negotiations are still continuing with the American side, but in any case the basis for the agreement will be respect for the sovereignty of Iraq."
It was the first time that the prime minister had specifically suggested the setting of a timetable for a US withdrawal.
US officials in Baghdad did not issue an immediate reaction to the comments.
The American position has always been that setting a timetable for withdrawal gives an advantage to insurgents who have been battling US forces since the 2003 invasion which overthrow Saddam Hussein.
A possible withdraw from Iraq has become a major issue in the US presidential election campaign and could also figure prominently in local elections in Iraq in October.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/in_depth/7493782.stm
2 comments:
The issue of when to pull out is certainly not an easy one to solve, regardless of personal preferences. I would love to see the US end the occupation immediately, but I am also wary of the humanitarian consequences it could bring. It is funny in that sad sort of way how US-led UN sanctions made already awful human rights situation worse, US invasion made a humanitarian calamity into a nightmare, and now US withdrawal could make the nightmare even worse. Ughh....
Anyway, the point being I recognize the problem despite my preference for ending what I see as the US trying its damnedest to ensure its dominance in the region and to check Iran. Now, that said, I think if the legitimate, elected government of Iraq (who the US constructed and supports) asks the US politely to leave, the US is legally and morally bound to do it. I don't see how it could go any other way unless the US is willing to state publicly that is doesn't care about Iraqi sovereignty and that its long term goals of dominance in the Middle East trump its commitment to democracy and stability.
I don't think it's a matter of the U.S. wanting to stay. We've been putting as much pressure as we can realistically leverage on the Iraqi government to get its act together so we can leave since year 1... We were *supposed* to be withdrawing most of our troops by mid to late 2004. Unfortunately, our being calamitously retarded with respect to some of the decisions made resulting in our pushing that date back a bit... To, by some estimates, 2104. :|
At this point, the only way the U.S. can leave Iraq in a manner that saves face is for the Iraqis to ask us. That's been our endgame ever since it became apparent that we were actually going to have to fight the kind of war we were hoping our hasty march to Baghdad would prevent. "Please ask us to leave as soon as possible. Please.".
The hitch, of course, is that we simply *can't* leave until the Iraqi government is strong enough, and its new institutions have had time to establish and entrench themselves. Which is slowly happening.
And now that it looks like the Iraqis are even remotely comfortable talking about timelines for U.S. Withdrawal, there is finally some kind of light at the end of the tunnel.
Post a Comment