MP says Bush should halt pressure over deal

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A Kurdistan Islamic Union member on Tuesday urged U.S. President George W. Bush to “halt pressure” on Iraqi politicians over the long-term security agreement. “The past days and the stances of political blocs and the public on the U.S.-Iraqi agreement have proved that it is impossible to be signed and approved by the Parliament in the remaining months of the current year or during the remaining period of President Bush’s term,” MP Sami al-Atroushi told IraqiNews.com. “I believe that the current U.S. administration should stop pressurizing the Iraqi government and political blocs,” Atroushi noted. The U.S. and Iraqi governments are currently negotiating a security pact that would regulate the presence of foreign troops in the country after 2008. A declaration of principles was signed between U.S. President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in December 2007. The declaration was scheduled to be ratified on July 31, 2008 and to come into force as of January 1, 2009. The agreement governs the presence of U.S. forces in the country after 2008 and will not come into force without the approval of the Iraqi Parliament, which has 275 members from five blocs, in addition to the Sadrist movement and al-Fadhila party. The U.S. troops’ presence currently relies on a mandate by the United Nations and is annually renewed at the request of the Iraqi government. SS (S) 1