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| Iraq |
| 'Iraq very close to signing SOFA' |
| 2008-09-28 |
| Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has claimed Baghdad is getting very close to signing a security deal with the United States. "I think it is in the final stages," Zebari said in New York where he held talks with his US counterpart Condoleezza Rice on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Saturday. The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) which is being negotiated by Baghdad and Washington would determine the status of US troops in Iraq after their UN mandate expires on December 31. Under the deal US forces would reportedly be granted immunity from legal prosecution in Iraq. The issue of immunity however has been a main hurdle to the finalization of the deal. Rice and Zebari said there was progress in negotiations and they hoped for a conclusion soon, AP reported. The foreign minister also urged the country's political leaders to support the treaty saying, "it will need the support of all the political leaders to get this agreement.'' A majority of Iraqi parliamentarians and political leaders however are against signing the deal which they believe would turn Iraq into a US colony. Parliament speaker Mahmud Mashhadani had earlier said that no Iraqi official was allowed to sign the treaty unless it was ratified by two-thirds of the lawmakers. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 The "US elections clause" in that document must be impressive. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-09-28 10:07 |