Word: agreement
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Iraqi Shi'ite militia leader Moqtada al-Sadr has long been one of the galvanizing figures for opposition to the U.S. presence in the country. Friday's massive street protests against Washington's plans for a long-term strategic agreement with Iraq, along with his followers' call for a public referendum on the issue, were further evidence of this. But opposition, or at least skepticism, towards the U.S. appears to be spreading through the ranks of Baghdad's political establishment, even among partisans the United States hopes to win over...
...This agreement is so meager and poor, it achieves only the American security benefits and nothing for Iraq or the Iraqi people," said parliamentarian Umar Abdul Satar, a member of the main Sunni political bloc. "I don't know how the government will persuade itself or the parliament or the people...
...American officials have said they hope to have a deal finalized by the end of July, a deadline negotiators appear unlikely to reach at this point. Virtually no details of the agreement have emerged during recent months as U.S. and Iraqi officials got started on hammering out drafts. Washington's public stance thus far suggests that the American vision for its relationship with Iraq is largely in step with widely aired Iraqi demands for full sovereignty. U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker has said the agreement, which would replace the existing U.N. mandate allowing coalition forces in the country, will...
...other divisive issues of sovereignty the agreement will likely have to tackle remain unresolved as well: The ability of U.S. troops to arrest and detain Iraqis and the applicability of Iraqi law on U.S. forces. At present U.S. forces are exempt from Iraqi law and have essentially unchecked powers to arrest and jail Iraqi citizens as part of military operations. Many Iraqis see revoking this as key to restoring a real sense of sovereignty to the country. But it's difficult to imagine U.S. policymakers agreeing to have their hands tied militarily in Iraq or allowing U.S. troops to risk...
...Added to such southern grievances are continuing disputes over the precise demarcation of the internal federal border between north and south under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). In particular, both sides claim Abyei. The north has also been slow to withdraw troops from the south, and suspicions are that it will drag its feet over a referendum, promised by the CPA and due for 2011, in which the south can vote for secession and independence. Complicating the situation is tribal local rivalry in the area, which both sides try to exploit to their advantage...