IAF forms committee to study security deal clauses

Iraq-IAF BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF) met on Tuesday to discuss the security agreement between Iraq and the U.S., and formed a committee to study it, the spokesman for the Sunni bloc said. “The IAF held a meeting to form a committee to study the agreement to establish a clear opinion on it,” Saleem al-Juburi told IraqiNews.com. “The committee will study two main axes; the articles touching Iraq’s sovereignty and the Iraqi peoples interests, and the vague formulation of certain articles,” he explained. The official spokesman of the Iraqi government had said earlier the Iraqi Council of Ministers unanimously agreed that there are necessary amendments which need to be made to the current security agreement draft. Any deal must be approved by the Iraqi cabinet, the three-man Presidential Board, and critically, by the Council of Representatives. The current UN mandate for U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq expires on 31 December. About 144,000 of the 152,000 foreign troops deployed there are US military personnel. The Iraqi government has publicly insisted on a clear timeline for withdrawal, and U.S. officials said the current draft included a timeline for U.S. withdrawal before the end of 2011. It also wants to be able to prosecute U.S. troops if they commit crimes outside their bases while off duty or on unauthorized missions. SH (S)/SR 1