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Talks on U.S. troops staying in Iraq stuck on issue of immunity
The question of whether American troops who stay in Iraq to train Iraqi forces would have immunity from local prosecution is shaping up to be the most contentious issue as the two countries try to hammer out an agreement on whether to keep a small training force here next year.Iraqi leaders, desperate to assert their sovereignty, say immunity isnt necessary for any American forces who stay in Iraq to train their security forces. But for Americans worried about their soldiers ending up in Iraqi courts, the lack of immunity is a deal-breaker. Immunity is the main disputed point. If we do not have agreement on the immunity, there will be no agreement on the number of trainers, said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh. Iraqi political leaders met Tuesday night to discuss whether to have American forces stay in Iraq when the 2008 security agreement expires at the end of this year and all American forces are supposed to leave the country. After the meeting they announced that Iraq does need American training help but that the trainers should not have immunity, setting the stage for protracted negotiations. American officials seemed to be scrambling Wednesday to understand what exactly the Iraqi politicians, who excel at brinkmanship politics, really meant. Posted by: tipper 2011-10-05 |
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