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| Iraq | |
| Iraqi PM: Top cleric won't block US pact | |
| 2008-10-11 | |
| BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq's prime minister said Friday that the country's most influential Shiite cleric will leave the decision on the future of U.S. troops to the government and parliament—a step that could remove a major obstacle to a deal. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, journeyed Friday to the Shiite holy city of Najaf to brief Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani about the progress in talks with the U.S. on a security agreement governing operations of American forces starting next year. After a 2 1/2-hour meeting, al-Maliki told reporters that the Iranian-born cleric would not oppose the security deal if it is approved by the country's democratic institutions—including parliament, which must ratify the pact. "He does not want anything forced or imposed on the Iraqi people," al-Maliki said. "Rather he wants it to be done through the institutions. If the government and the parliament approve this, then (al-Sistani) will be convinced that is what the Iraqi people have decided." Al-Sistani's office had no comment.
American and Iraqi officials have said they are close to an agreement that would replace the U.N. mandate for U.S. forces in Iraq; the mandate expires Dec. 31. But the most contentious issue—legal jurisdiction and immunity for U.S. troops under Iraqi law—remains unresolved. Al-Maliki said the U.S. had made major concessions, including agreeing to pull U.S. forces back to their bases by the end of June and to a full withdrawal by Dec. 31, 2011. President Bush had steadfastly refused for years to set a timetable for a troop withdrawal, saying that should depend on security conditions on the ground. Iraqi politicians say they cannot sell the deal to their war-weary public without a timeline for the end of the U.S. presence. However, one senior U.S. official, close to the talks, confirmed Friday that the Americans had agreed to the June and 2011 dates. The official said the United States still believes that security conditions should determine the withdrawal schedule but that Washington can live with the language in the draft deal. Iraqi officials have said the U.S. departure could be delayed if the government asks the U.S. to stay. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |