Iraq says it wants to restrict movement of U.S. troops

[babylonsister]

Iraq says it wants to restrict movement of U.S. troops
Fri Jun 6, 2008 2:55pm EDT

By Michael Georgy


BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said on Friday it would not grant U.S. troops freedom of movement for military operations in a new agreement being negotiated on extending the presence of American troops on its soil.

Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih said the United States wanted its forces to operate with no restrictions, but this was not acceptable to Iraq.

The United States is negotiating an agreement with Iraq aimed at giving a legal basis for U.S. troops to stay in Iraq after December 31, when their United Nations mandate expires.

The negotiations are the subject of heated debate both in the United States and Iraq, where thousands have answered anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's call for weekly protests after Friday Muslim prayers.

While the Iraqi government has confirmed there are major differences between the two sides in the negotiations, few details of the sticking points have been made public.

more...

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL0693567620080606?sp=true

[tkmorris]

1. LOL That aint gonna happen

I hope the Iraqis stand firm. They must know that the US will not agree to anything under Bush except complete control of anything important.

My worry is that Bush will get exactly what he wants but the Iraqi govt will hide it under some face-saving language and the Iraqi people will buy it. I hope they aren't as naive as I imagine them to be.

[babylonsister]

2. Speaking of hiding, they're going to attempt that:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3403597&mesg_id=3403597

[spanone]

3. get out now....get out now....get out now

[babylonsister]

4. Yes, the sooner the better. nt