Iraq rejects permanent U.S. bases

[tekisui]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq will never allow the United States to have permanent military bases on its soil, the government's national security adviser said.

"We need the United States in our war against terrorism, we need them to guard our border sometimes, we need them for economic support and we need them for diplomatic and political support," Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said.

"But I say one thing, permanent forces or bases in Iraq for any foreign forces is a red line that cannot be accepted by any nationalist Iraqi," he told Dubai-based al Arabiya television in an interview broadcast late on Monday.


His comments were the clearest sign yet that Iraq's leaders are looking ahead to the days when they have full responsibility for its defense.

The United States has around 160,000 troops in Iraq, officially under a United Nations mandate enacted after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Iraq formally asked the United Nations on Monday to renew that mandate for a year until the end of 2008. It made clear it would not extend the mandate beyond next year and the mandate could be revoked sooner at Iraq's request.

more at link: http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-12-11T130022Z_01_L08647786_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-BASES.xml

[Rex]

1. Smart...so will they now have their own version of OBL and their 911?

Oh right...Saddam caused 911. I forgot. How silly of me.

[baldguy]

2. And why does Iraq think they have any say in the matter?

They've got a long way to go to learn how to behave like the colonial puppet govt they are.