Posted on 08/13/2008 4:18:36 PM PDT by vietvet67
American soldiers will withdraw from cities across Iraq next summer and all US combat troops will leave the country within three years, provided the violence remains low, under the terms of a draft agreement with the Iraqi Government.
In one of the most detailed insights yet into the content of the deal, Hoshyar Zebari, the Iraqi Foreign Minister, has also told The Times that the US military would be barred from unilaterally mounting attacks inside Iraq from next year.
In addition, the power of arrest for US soldiers would be curbed by the need to hand over any detainee to a new, US-Iraqi committee. Troops would require the green light from this joint command before conducting any operation.
The Pentagon refused to comment last night on the proposals laid out in the draft agreement between Baghdad and Washington that covers the status of US forces beyond 2008. Britain will strike its own deal with Iraq but Gor-don Brown hopes to withdraw most British troops from Iraq by next summer, reducing the number of soldiers from 4,100 to “a few hundred” by then.
Mr Zebari said in an interview: “Our negotiators and the Americans have almost brought it [the accord] to a close. It is not a closed deal but it is very close.”
After five months of sometimes heated debate, the technical part of the job – drawing up a legally sound document that contains various compromises and is written in the right language – is over.
Next, Nouri al-Maliki, the Prime Minister, Jalal Talabani, the President, and other Iraqi leaders must give their approval – something that could happen this month, although Mr Talabani is in the United States recovering from a knee operation.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
if the terms are true, this just puts American lives in way further danger.
Time to get out now, before we have to slug our way out.
"... provided the violence remains low..."
"... provided the violence remains low..."
"... provided the violence remains low..."
“... provided the violence remains low...”
Bump
Got news for ya. If Russia does anything stupid against our military in Georgia, our troops will be leaving Iraq alot sooner than three years, violence or no.
Those terms are horrible, especially having to go to the Iraqis and get permission for operations. Way too many operational security problems.
Frankly, what else can we do for Iraq in three years that we can’t do in one year?
What is bothering me more than the details is the seemingly willingness of the Iraqis to get us out alot faster than we want. This tells me we have done a good job. Declare victory, get the hell out and let our military start regrouping for Russia and China. We’ll still be fighting in Afghan for the forseeable future and it will give us more flexibility to hit terrorists in other parts of the world like Africa and Asia.
Guys, am I missing something here? What else can we do for them? It’s time for them to experiment on thier own republic now.
Let me guess.
Obama found out about this deal being in the works and timed his arrival and meeting with the Iraqi ministers to be before the deal was finalized.
Obama then took credit for the deal by stating a position directly in line with the deal that was already negotiated. The Iraqis affirmed that this was pretty much what was already on the table and what they expected, but the context of the deal already being in place and in the process of being finalized was lost because the statements occurred in isolation of a true policy discussion (Obama not being accredited diplomatic status). Plus, the terms and content of the deal were to remain secret until announced publicly, as it is being done now. Obama endangered the deal and probably prolonged the finalization by his statements. Either way Obama benefits. If the deal was trashed because of his early leaking of the discussed terms in the form of “what he would like to see happen” then he can blame the lack of progress on a deal on Bush. If the deal went through, he could take credit for it and say that he was the one who made it happen. Bastard.
Did I miss anything?
Good analysis.
Steal the deal.
Still the same plan that existed last September and was briefed to congress. Following that plan, the US will be down to 10 combat brigades in overwatch by July 2008. Barring any hickups…
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