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| Iraq |
| Dramatic consequences if no Iraqi deal: Gates |
| 2008-10-23 |
| U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates warned Tuesday of "pretty dramatic" consequences of not having an accord governing the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq and said he did not want to change the draft deal despite concerns raised by Iraqi politicians. As Baghdad leaders said they wanted more changes to the draft agreement now under review, though, the U.S. defense chief also said the door was "pretty far closed" on further negotiations -- though it wasn't slammed shut, he added. "The consequences of not having a SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) and of not having a renewed U.N. authorization are pretty dramatic in terms of consequences for our actions," said Gates, speaking to members of three news agencies. Gates added, "if they (Baghdad or Congress) were to come up with something we haven't thought of, or identify problems we missed some way, we would have to take that seriously." A status of forces agreement would replace the current U.N. mandate -- which expires December 31 -- as the legal basis for the U.S. military presence in Iraq. Gates was speaking to reporters in his Pentagon office after the draft security deal failed to win support among Iraqi political leaders and prompted Iraq to demand changes to the document. He said the response in Iraq suggested the positions among different political groups could balance each other out and lead to progress after an initial stalemate. "We just have to let the Iraqi political process play out," Gates said. But he added: "Clearly the clock is ticking." On Tuesday Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's cabinet called for changes to the planned security pact, unanimously agreeing to seek unspecified amendments, according to government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh. The demand for changes is expected to significantly delay the agreement, which still must be approved by the Iraqi parliament after endorsement by the cabinet. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 Pretty much. But it'll make the short-sighted happy. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2008-10-23 23:24 |
| #2 Dramatic for the Iraqis whose country becomes a site of a proxy war between Saudia and Iran until nothing is left. For USA it means saving 10 billion $ + couple dozen human lives (on the average) a month. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2008-10-23 19:34 |
| #1 Yeah, yeah, we know. End of the world. Same as the Bailout argument. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-10-23 11:53 |