BAGHDAD: Iraq has proposed a short-term memorandum of understanding on the presence of American troops instead of a more formal agreement, Iraq’s prime minister Nuri Al-Maliki said yesterday — an apparent response to opposition from Iraqi lawmakers.
Some type of agreement is needed to keep US troops in Iraq after a UN mandate expires at year’s end. But many Iraqi lawmakers had criticized the government’s attempt to negotiate a formal status of forces agreement, worried US demands would threaten the country’s sovereignty.
Al-Maliki said the memorandum “now on the table” includes a formula for the withdrawal of US troops — an idea opposed by US President George W. Bush. “The goal is to end the presence (of foreign troops),” Al-Maliki told several Arab ambassadors to the UAE during a meeting in Abu Dhabi. The prime minister provided no details. But his national security adviser, Mouwaffak Al-Rubaie, told The Associated Press the government is proposing a timetable conditioned on the ability of Iraqi forces to provide security.
US officials have said little publicly about the negotiations. They had no immediate comment yesterday.
With the latest moves, Iraq’s government appeared to be trying to blunt opposition to any deal in Parliament.
Al-Maliki also could be trying to avoid Parliament altogether. He has promised in the past to submit a formal agreement with the US to the legislative body. But his spokesman indicated yesterday that the government might feel no need to get approval from Parliament for a shorter-term interim deal. “It is up to the Cabinet whether to approve it or sign on it, without going back to the Parliament,” said spokesman Ali Al-Dabbagh.
Vote on July 15
Parliament said yesterday it would vote July 15 whether to approve provincial elections originally scheduled for Oct. 1.
But a senior election official said it was impossible to hold the elections on schedule. If the vote is to be held before the end of the year, Parliament must approve the elections by the end of July, said Judge Qassim Al-Aboudi. Violence in Iraq has fallen to its lowest level in four years. The change has been driven by the 2007 buildup of American forces, the Sunni tribal revolt against Al-Qaeda in Iraq and crackdowns against extremists.
