Bush forced to rethink plan to keep Iraq bases
By Leonard Doyle in Washington
Thursday, 12 June 2008
Faced with Iraqi anger over a US plan to enable Washington to keep military forces in the country indefinitely, George Bush is offering concessions to the government of Nouri al-Maliki in an effort to salvage an agreement, it emerged yesterday
The proposed terms of the impending deal, which were first revealed in The Independent, have had a predictably explosive political effect inside Iraq Negotiations between Washington and Baghdad grew fraught, with Iraqi politicians denouncing US demands to maintain a permanent grip on the country through the establishment of permanent military bases
Officials complained that the plan which allows US troops to occupy permanent bases, conduct military operations, arrest Iraqis and enjoy immunity from Iraqi law, would turn Iraq into a colony of the US, and create the conditions for unending conflict both in Iraq and the Middle East
With Washington's Iraqi allies rising up in revolt against the plans, Mr Bush ordered a negotiating shift this weekend after speaking to Mr Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister "Now the American position is much more positive and more flexible than before," a leading Iraqi negotiator in the talks was quoted as saying
Senior Iraqi officials want a major reduction of the US military footprint in Iraq as soon as the UN Security Council mandate approving their presence expires at the end of the year Iraqi officials also want US forces confined to barracks unless the Iraqis ask for their assistance Emboldened by recent successes by Iraqi security forces, many officials want the US troops to leave altogether
President Bush, who is on a farewell tour of Europe, wants a new agreement sealed by the end of next month so he can declare a military victory in Iraq and say his 2003 invasion has been vindicated before he leaves office
But any long-term settlement to maintain US forces in Iraq would cut the ground from under the Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama, who has promised to withdraw US troops if he is elected in November
The Bush administration says a new agreement is needed to ensure stability in Iraq, as without one or an extended UN mandate, there would be no legal basis for US forces to remain
The growing Iraqi anger with the proposal was front-page news in the US yesterday Sami al-Askari, a senior Shia politician close to Mr Maliki told The Washington Post: "The Americans are making demands that would lead to the colonisation of Iraq If we can't reach a fair agreement, many people think we should say, 'Goodbye, US troops We don't need you here any more'"
The Democrat-controlled Congress is also uneasy about President Bush's attempt to impose a colonial-style mandate on Iraq Both Democrats and Republicans have questioned Mr Bush's assertion that he does not require congressional approval for the proposed agreement
The argument is focused on negotiations on a status of forces agreement defining the legal rights and responsibilities of US forces As framed, it gives the US military free reign to operate in the country There is also proposed "security framework" covering the relationship between the US and Iraq
..more..
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/bush-forced-to-rethink-plan-to-keep-iraq-bases-845071.html
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