Iraqi gov’t slams U.S. Gen. Odierno’s statement on Iranian influence over lawmakers

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi government on Wednesday lashed out against charges from the commander of U.S. troops in Iraq that lawmakers are paid bribes by Iran to block the security deal regulating the foreign troops in Iraq. “The Iraqi government has received with concern statements reportedly said by General Odierno, commander of the Multi-National Troops in Iraq, and regarded them as unsuitable messages to elected lawmakers who hold responsibilities to express their stances democratically,” government spokesman Ali al-Dabagh said in a statement “The statement upsets our good relations with the Multi-National Troops,” he stressed. General Ray Odierno said in an interview that Iran is working publicly and covertly to undermine the Status-of-Forces Agreement (SOFA) as officials from Iraq and the United States report nearing a deal that must be ratified by Iraq’s Parliament. Washington and Baghdad are currently negotiating a security pact that would decide the future of U.S. forces in Iraq after the present UN mandate expires at the end of this year. The UN mandate currently acts as the legal framework for the presence of foreign forces in the violence-wracked country. The U.S. and Iraq have been negotiating their own bilateral accord for months but have so far failed to seal the deal because of disagreements on whether American soldiers should be immune from Iraqi law when off-duty. AM (S)/SR 1