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| Iraq |
| US gives Maliki concessions on immunity issue |
| 2008-10-20 |
| Iraq has secured the right to prosecute American soldiers and civilians for crimes committed outside their bases and when off duty, in the latest draft of a security pact that will set the terms of their deployment beyond this year. The draft stipulates that the United States will have the primary right to exercise jurisdiction over its soldiers and civilians if they commit a crime inside their facilities or when on missions, according to a copy obtained by AFP. But the arrangement gives Iraqi courts the right to prosecute U.S. soldiers and civilians if they commit "grave and premeditated felonies outside their facilities and when not on missions." The decision is seen as a hard-won concession for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki who has taken a tough stand on protecting his country's sovereignty in the pact. If the agreement is signed by the two sides and approved by the Iraqi parliament, it would become effective from January 1 and last for three years, during which a phased withdrawal of U.S. forces is outlined. U.S. combat forces will withdraw from Iraqi towns and villages by June 2009 and pull out from Iraq completely by December 2011, the document says. Meanwhile, al-Maliki said Sunday that Baghdad and London would begin negotiating a security deal to decide the future of British forces in the country beyond 2008. "Iraq will appoint a negotiating team to discuss the future of British forces in Iraq," Maliki said in a statement issued by his office after he met visiting British Defence Secretary John Hutton. The statement said Maliki stressed the importance of reaching a deal between Baghdad and London before the end of this year, when the UN mandate that provides a legal framework for foreign troops in Iraq will expire. |
| Posted by:Fred |