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Secret US Plan for Military Future in Iraq | |
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VIEWPOINT
"Exploring The Powerful Issues & Emotions of The Middle East"
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Editor's Note:
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Secret US Plan for Military Future in Iraq
By Seumas Milne
Document outlines powers but sets no time limit on troop
presence.
A confidential draft agreement covering the future of
US forces in Iraq, passed to the Guardian, shows that
provision is being made for an open-ended military
presence in the country.
The draft strategic framework agreement between the US and
Iraqi governments, dated March 7 and marked "secret" and
"sensitive", is intended to replace the existing UN mandate
and authorises the US to "conduct military operations
in Iraq and to detain individuals when necessary for
imperative reasons of security" without time limit.
The authorisation is described as "temporary" and the
agreement says the US "does not desire permanent bases or
a permanent military presence in Iraq". But the absence of
a time limit or restrictions on the US and other coalition
forces - including the British - in the country means it
is likely to be strongly opposed in Iraq and the US.
Iraqi critics point out that the agreement contains no
limits on numbers of US forces, the weapons they are
able to deploy, their legal status or powers over Iraqi
citizens, going far beyond long-term US security agreements
with other countries. The agreement is intended to govern
the status of the US military and other members of the
multinational force.
Following recent clashes between Iraqi troops and Moqtada
al-Sadr's Mahdi army in Basra, and threats by the Iraqi
government to ban his supporters from regional elections
in the autumn, anti-occupation Sadrists and Sunni parties
are expected to mount strong opposition in parliament to
the agreement, which the US wants to see finalised by the
end of July. The UN mandate expires at the end of the
year.
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One well-placed Iraqi Sunni political source said
yesterday: "The feeling in Baghdad is that this agreement
is going to be rejected in its current form, particularly
after the events of the last couple of weeks. The
government is more or less happy with it as it is, but
parliament is a different matter."
It is also likely to prove controversial in Washington,
where it has been criticised by Democratic presidential
candidate Hillary Clinton, who has accused the
administration of seeking to tie the hands of the next
president by committing to Iraq's protection by US forces.
The defence secretary, Robert Gates, argued in February
that the planned agreement would be similar to dozens of
"status of forces" pacts the US has around the world and
would not commit it to defend Iraq. But Democratic Congress
members, including Senator Edward Kennedy, a senior member
of the armed services committee, have said it goes well
beyond other such agreements and amounts to a treaty, which
has to be ratified by the Senate under the constitution.
Administration officials have conceded that if the agree-
ment were to include security guarantees to Iraq, it would
have to go before Congress. But the leaked draft only
states that it is "in the mutual interest of the United
States and Iraq that Iraq maintain its sovereignty,
territorial integrity and political independence and that
external threats to Iraq be deterred. Accordingly, the
US and Iraq are to consult immediately whenever the
territorial integrity or political independence of Iraq
is threatened."
Significantly - given the tension between the US and Iran,
and the latter's close relations with the Iraqi administr-
ation's Shia parties - the draft agreement specifies that
the "US does not seek to use Iraq territory as a platform
for offensive operations against other states".
General David Petraeus, US commander in Iraq, is to face
questioning from all three presidential candidates on
Capitol Hill today when he reports to the Senate on his
surge strategy, which increased US forces in Iraq by about
30,000 last year.
Both Clinton and Democratic rival Barack Obama are
committed to beginning troop withdrawals from Iraq.
Republican senator John McCain has pledged to maintain
troop levels until the country is secure.
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