Iraq parliament & people protests over SOFA Sun, 26 Oct 2008 08:36:14 GMT
Iraqi lawmakers gather in front of the Baghdad parliament building in a third day of protests at a controversial US-sought security deal. 
Members of parliament loyal to the anti-occupation Sadr bloc gathered in front of the Iraqi parliament on Saturday after vowing to continue their condemnation
of the US-proposed agreement. The lawmakers have vowed to continue protests until
the deal is completely annulled. The parliament representatives also criticized the US, saying Washington pressures Iraqi officials to sign the deal as part of a psychological warfare' campaign.
A similar demonstration has been staged in Basra
against a controversial security pact which the US is trying to convince Iraq to sign.
"The Seyyed al-Shohadaa (Master of Martyrs) Movement, a Shia group, organized the rally on Saturday in the central Basra neighborhood of al-Ishar to demand considering Iraq's sovereignty in the security pact," the Voices of Iraq news agency reported.
The protestors called on the government not to allow US troops to be granted the permission to act outside the framework of the country's law, a demonstrator said. Baghdad has been under US intense pressure to sign the long term security agreement, which would provide a legal basis for the presence of US forces in the war-ravaged country after their UN mandate expires in December 31. Washington seeks to finalize a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Iraq before its UN mandate in the oil-rich country expires on December 31. The deal is contentious as it grants immunity from legal prosecution in Iraqi courts to all US forces and citizens who commit crimes in facilities and areas owned by the government of Iraq but used by US forces on January 1, 2009. Iraqi judicial law will only be implemented in case an American, who is off-duty, commits a serious and deliberate felony outside his/her military base. According to the latest version of the draft Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) all US troops would be outside Iraq's jurisdiction if they committed crimes inside their
bases and when on duty. Despite Washington's warnings and threats, the Iraqi government has insisted that the deal should consider the country's sovereignty and national interests.
Report: Maliki won't sign divisive SOFA Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:40:21 GMT
Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki 'will not sign' the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) over fears that it might create division in the country. A lawmaker from the United Iraqi Alliance, Iraq's most powerful parliamentary bloc, made the announcement, adding that a "national consensus" is required before any move, the McClatchy Newspaper reported on Saturday.
MP Sheikh Jalal al-Din al-Sagheer, who is also the deputy head of Iraq's Supreme Islamic Council, added that the country's political leaders are thinking about alternative options, including an extension of the UN mandate for the presence of US troops inside the country.
According to the report, Russia has assured Baghdad that it would not veto any motion at the UN Security Council to extend the mandate of US troops inside Iraq. If the agreement is shelved, the Bush Administration, which has been seeking to provide a legal basis for the presence of US troops in Iraq, will suffer a major setback in the twilight months of George W. Bush in office.
The report comes while Ali al-Adeeb, the chief of staff of al-Maliki's Dawa party announced Wednesday that the Iraqi parliament "cannot approve this pact in its current form."
SOFA would also grant a form of immunity from legal prosecution to US citizens inside the country and it would allow the US to set up permanent military bases in Iraq. Many Iraqi political and religious leaders consider SOFA as a humiliating agreement which would turn Iraq into a de facto US colony.
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