Iraqi VP: national consensus against ongoing draft pact with U.S.

[struggle4progress]

Source: Xinhua

AMMAN, June 2 (Xinhua) -- .. Iraqi Vice President Tareq Al Hashemi said .. late Sunday that there is a national Iraqi consensus not to accept the draft agreement being negotiated by between Baghdad and Washington to prolong presence of U.S. troops in Iraq until after 2008, the official news agency Petra reported on Monday.

"Iraq will never accept any deal that infringes on its sovereignty and is not in the interest of the Iraqi people," the Vice President was quoted by Petra as saying.

Al Hashemi told a meeting hosted by the Jordanian Society for Science and Culture that the current dilemma is far beyond Iraq's capabilities and his country is facing immense and dangerous challenges that impede efforts to rebuild modern Iraqi state ...

Read more: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/02/content_8302847.htm

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Fears mount on ‘SOFA’

BAGHDAD (Agencies): A government spokesman says the Iraqi side has differences with the United States over a longterm security agreement that is under negotiation. Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh says talks on the deal “are still in their early stages and the Iraqi side has a vision and a draft that is different” from those being presented by US negotiators. Sunday’s statement comes as opposition to the deal has been growing among Iraqis who see it as a possible infringement on Iraq’s sovereignty and are worried about an extended presence of American troops. US officials insist they are not seeking permanent bases but have not otherwise commented on the talks that face a July target date for completion. Iraq has sent teams to four countries that have military pacts with the United States ahead of entering a similar deal, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said on Sunday.

“We dispatched four technical teams to Germany, Turkey, South Korea and Japan to see how they did in these countries,” Zebari told reporters on the sidelines of a visit by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. Zebari said they expected a political consensus in Iraq before finalising the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) to legitimise US operations in Iraq beyond 2008 when the UN resolution governing their presence expires. The government in a separate statement said that it was too early to say when the deal could be finalised. “It is too early to talk about dates or the terms to be agreed upon,” the statement said, adding that Baghdad would not accept any agreement that undermined its sovereignty. Iraq’s national security council has already asked Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to ensure that any deal does not compromise national security ...

http://www.arabtimesonline.com/client/pagesdetails.asp?nid=17784&ccid=11

[LynnTheDem]

1. Wow, a VP who is actually cognizant of the will of the vast majority of his people.

FACT: Iraqis never wanted USA invading Iraq, not even the Kurds, who warned the bush regime against it.

FACT: The vast majority of Iraqis want the occupiers out of their country years ago.

FACT: The vast majority of Iraqis believe the bush regime invaded them for their oil; they're not stupid people. Unlike the American talibornagain freeping morans.

OCCUPIERS GET OUT! Iraq for IRAQIS!

[ohio2007]

2. When do the Iraqi's set a withdraw date ?

Otherwise its just rhetoric of all talk, no action. They should have a clearer view of where they are going and what they are going to be after the october elections voiced a broader consensus

[Raster]

3. This will certainly make it harder for the Texas Petroleum Mafia to steal their oil.

What to do? The cheney*/bush* pResidency was supposed to take care of this!