NationStates Jolt Archive

The Iraqi cabinet has approved a security pact with the US governing the future presence of 150,000 US troops in the country, officials have said.

Under the deal, US troops will withdraw from the streets of Iraqi towns next year, leaving Iraq by the end of 2011.

The decision will need to go before Iraq's parliament for a final vote.

America's National Security Council welcomed the cabinet's vote, saying it was "an important and positive step" towards stability and security.

The pact is necessary to determine the role of US military forces in Iraq after their UN mandate expires on 31 December 2008. Good news so far.

In October, Iraq sent a new round of suggested changes to the draft Status of Forces Agreement (Sofa), to which the US responded.

Washington had previously said the pact was "final" and could not be amended.

There are currently about 150,000 US troops deployed in Iraq.

The UK government, which has 4,100 troops in Iraq, is waiting for the US-Iraqi pact to be approved so they can use it as a template for their own bi-lateral deal.Looks like everybody is ready to leave.

Deal struck

As the Iraqi cabinet met on Sunday, two bomb attacks - in Baghdad and Diyala province - killed at least 18 people and wounded many more.

The cabinet approved the pact after a two-and-a-half hour meeting, government spokesman Ali Dabbagh said.

All but one of the 28 ministers present had voted in favour of the pact, he added, according to the Associated Press news agency.

According to Mr Dabbagh, the agreement's terms include:

* placing US forces in Iraq under the authority of the Iraqi government
* US forces to leave the streets of Iraq's towns and villages by the middle of 2009
* US forces to hand over their bases to Iraq during the course of 2009
* US forces to lose the authority to raid Iraqi homes without an order from an Iraqi judge and permission of the government.

In a statement, US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the US hoped for a successful vote in the Iraqi parliament:

"We remain hopeful and confident we'll soon have an agreement that serves both the people of Iraq and the United States well and sends a signal to the region and the world that both our governments are committed to a stable, secure and democratic Iraq."This article made my day.

Here's a link to the rest of the article.
Link. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7731971.stm)

Comments, people, comments.

What are the chances of being able to apprehend known wanted people with the complete corruption in the Iraq judicial system? If you try to get a warrant from the Courts the target will be sipping Virgin Marys with an umbrella in Iran by the time the soldiers knocked on the door.

What are the chances of being able to apprehend known wanted people with the complete corruption in the Iraq judicial system? If you try to get a warrant from the Courts the target will be sipping Virgin Marys with an umbrella in Iran by the time the soldiers knocked on the door.It's what the Iraqis want, apparently. I'm just happy that they have given us a definitive date* to get out of their country.
*As definitive as 'end of 2011' can be. It's better than what we had. Which was nothing.

No more excuses. No more open-ended bullshit with vague "benchmarks" that accompolish nothing but to keep us there forever. A clear message that the Iraqis are willing to face whatever the aftermath will be as a sovereign state. Good enough for me.

To hell with Iraq, the Iraqis, their "government" and their judicial system. We should just pull out ASAP and let them deal. They are not our problem anymore. We practically bankrupted ourselves because Bush the fool had some other agenda then the one stated, "Find and destroy Saddam's WMDs". A complete waste of time, money and lives for "nation building".
In the mean time our infrastructure is falling apart, our government has become even more corrupt and incompetent. Citizens are not getting the help and protection (FEMA, FDA, Labor, Housing, Medical, Transportation, etc.) they have needed for over twenty years.
The rich and the investor class, obscene and senseless with unreasonable expectation of continual huge profits and gaming the tax system so they pay much less then they should, are wrecking not only the country but many well run companies that make a fair profit but not enough . The only ones who can make Iraq work are the Iraqis. The only ones who can make the US work are Americans.

Im waiting for the right to come in here and talk about how we need to stay and they need us and want us there, and their government just doesnt know anything.

Im waiting for the right to come in here and talk about how we need to stay and they need us and want us there, and their government just doesnt know anything.Right. That's a ship waiting to sink. :p

Right. That's a ship waiting to sink. :p

The right has already shown that they dont respect this "sovereign Iraqi government" that they said was so great of us to set up.


Iraq: Blackwater. GTFO of our country.
Blackwater: K thanx.
Bush: Blackwater, go back, ignore the Iraq leadership. Theyre not really in charge.
Blackwater: Yay more moneyz.
Iraq: Wtf?

Good. It's the right way to do it. As much as I want the withdrawal of troops from Iraq (and was fundamentally opposed to the war in the first place), the only way to do so without causing far more mess than there was when we went in is a gradual withdrawal.

As the UK is currently doing in Basra, the US needs to move from being an occupying force to one involved in training and supporting the legitimate Iraqi administration. More than that, the coalition forces need to be shown as being responsible to the authority of the judicial system (which is why the arrest warrants are a good thing). Otherwise the system of a legitimate democratic government we are trying to leave behind will seem nothing more than a puppet administration to it's people. Thus undermining any authority and legitimacy it may have had.

Iraq: Blackwater. GTFO of our country.
Blackwater: K thanx.
Bush: Blackwater, go back, ignore the Iraq leadership. Theyre not really in charge.
Blackwater: Yay more moneyz.
Iraq: Wtf?

Succinct, yet very accurate.

While getting the troops out is a start, it will be interesting to see if the distribution of oil contracts will be re-examined under an Obama presidency.

Good news so far.

Even better. Italian daily "La Repubblica" reports that Obama wants to close Gitmo.

That's nice.

I saw this on Al Jazeera yesterday. Hopefully things go smoothly and the Iraqis can handle it.

Even better. Italian daily "La Repubblica" reports that Obama wants to close Gitmo.

That's nice.

yeah the full quote was execute everyone there dump their bodies at sea and close gitmo. Apparently Cheny switched bodies with Obama after the election.

yeah the full quote was execute everyone there dump their bodies at sea and close gitmo. Apparently Cheny switched bodies with Obama after the election.

AIEEEEEE! we're more fucked than Paris Hilton!

lol, btw

i wonder what our deal was when Australian troops left ,if this is what they giving to US

i wonder what our deal was when Australian troops left ,if this is what they giving to US

well the Iraqi PM said since your troops left early, no free oil.
he has promised the US 50 cents a gallon gas from 2011 to 2020. and to force France have twice what they pay now.