Middle East News

Iraqi politicians still opposed to security deal with US

Jul 5, 2008, 8:05 GMT

Baghdad - Iraq's political powers are still opposed to a long-term security agreement with Washington that does not preserve the country's sovereignty and national interests, an Iraqi lawmaker said in remarks published on Saturday. 'It is highly unlikely that the security agreement will be sealed by the end of this month,' said Abbas al-Bayati, a member of parliament's security and defence committee. He told Iraqi state-owned daily al-Sabbah that a memorandum of understanding was unlikely to be signed until the final agreement was reached as the majority of political blocs are still opposed to the agreement. The US and Iraq have been negotiating a long term pact that would lay down the legal basis for a continued US military presence in Iraq after a UN mandate expires in December. Talks have reportedly hit a snag over how much power the US troops would maintain over conducting operations and controlling airspace. The US has also demanded that independent security contractors working under its control be granted immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law.

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