Pact between obligation – commitment

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The political category in Iraq is still concerned with the issue of the Iraqi-U.S. security pact, and whether it would represent an obligation or a commitment to the new U.S. administration. Lawmaker Khalid Shwani of the Kurdistan Alliance told IraqiNews.com “the pact is like any other international pact.” “Withdrawal from Iraq or invalidating the pact requires documents,” he said. “The U.S. has more than 70 similar pacts with other countries, and has been committed to all of them,” he added. “Those treaties were all independent of changes in U.S. administrations,” he explained. Independent legislature Nori al-Talabani said, “The pact has international guarantees.” “The Iraqi and U.S. sides are planning to form mutual committees regarding the pact’s guarantees,” he added. “The pact is conditioned with a public referendum about it in Iraq, and it would be considered canceled if the majority of Iraqis reject it,” he proceeded. “Pacts represent obligations to states that sign them, regardless of changes in their governments,” he noted. But political analyst Ibrahim al-Somaidaee perceives that the Iraqi-U.S. pact is a mutual agreement and has no international guarantees. “Commitments in the pact are little, especially with regards to Iraq’s security, and developing Iraqi military and security institutions,” he said. “It is part of the U.S. policy in Iraq and the Middle East,” he added. “Public referendum on the pact cannot cancel the treaty, because it is a commitment for the state of Iraq not its people,” he asserted. MH (S)/SR 1