Lawmakers urge govt. not to hastily sign security deal

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Legislators representing political blocs outside the Iraqi government coalition called for avoiding hastily signing the security pact with Washington and giving it more thinking in order to come with a deal that would not undermine Iraq’s sovereignty. “The Americans are embarrassed and want to sign the agreement by the end of this year. Accordingly, I would suggest to postpone the signing of this pact after the U.S. elections,” Osama al-Nejeifi of former premier Iyad Allawi’s Iraqi National List (INL). He said the agreement was not referred to all members of parliament and that is why the political blocs did not give their final opinion over it. He added that the picture would be clearer next week after the blocs’ position regarding the articles of the agreement is expressed. “There are two points in this agreement that are not settled so far: the judicial jurisdiction over U.S. soldiers and the date for U.S. forces’ pullout from Iraq,” said Nejeifi, whose INL bloc occupies 19 out of the Iraqi parliament’s 275 seats. The yet-to-be-signed pact is drawing a hubbub amidst government, religious and popular circles in Iraq. Government officials say that the U.S. side has offered great concessions to hammer out a final draft for the pact, while politicians argue that it contained items that impinge upon Iraq’s sovereignty and independence. By virtue of this agreement, if approved, the status of U.S. forces in Iraq would determined after the UN mandate for the U.S. army expires by the end of 2008. In accordance with the draft agreement, the U.S. presence in Iraq would continue until December 31, 2011, after which the Iraqi government may ask the U.S. administration to pull out its forces from Iraq. Mohammed Tameem, a member of Saleh al-Motlak’s Sunni National Dialogue Front (NDF), urged the Iraqi government to “shoulder its responsibilities regarding the signing of this pact,” adding the recent draft agreement was “full of many problematic points”. “The security pact contains several imbalanced points like tracking down remnants of the former regime. The phrase is not specific and the agreement did not provide a clear definition regarding who the remnants of the former regime are,” said Tameem. He indicated that the deal did not either grant the Iraqis the right to sue Americans for their destruction of bridges and infrastructures, let alone it granted them the right to enter Iraqi territories without passports or entry visas. Several hours’ consultations held by the Political Council for National Security (PCNS) on October 19 ended without an agreement on the proposed security pact between Iraq and the United States. A legislator from the al-Fadhila bloc, Kareem al-Yaaqubi, said the agreement would require more time and efforts to scrutinize it. “It is a very important and strategic agreement for the status of Iraq and the future and generations of the nation,” Yaaqubi added. AmR (I) 2