NEGROPONTE CALLS SECURITY DEAL ON IRAQ ‘CLOSE’
By Erica Goode
New York Times
Published: October 7, 2008
United States
BAGHDAD — Winding up a visit to Iraq that has taken him to six
provinces, Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte said Tuesday
that American and Iraqi negotiators were close to resolving issues
that have stood in the way of a security agreement governing the
continued presence of American troops in the country.
Mr. Negroponte said his trip included "fruitful discussions" on a
variety of political and economic issues, including the security
agreement. But he declined to discuss what sticking points, if any,
remained to be negotiated.
He was joined by Iraq’s foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, at a news
conference in the fortified Green Zone.
Mr. Zebari said that "new formulations and new language" had allowed
progress on the legal status of American troops in Iraq. The question
of whether, and under what conditions, American soldiers and military
contractors who are accused of crimes should be subject to Iraqi
laws, or given immunity from them, has been a central obstacle in
the talks. "I think we are very close," Mr. Zebari said, adding that
"no final decision has been made."
Mr. Zebari, who noted that Mr. Negroponte had been helpful in moving
the talks forward, said that further progress would call for "bold
political decisions."
In September, Iraqi and American officials said that the legal
immunity issue was threatening to derail the negotiations. The United
States has argued for the same legal protections that apply in other
countries where American troops are based. The Iraqi government has
been adamant that any crime committed outside of a military operation
should be subject to prosecution in Iraqi courts.
In negotiating the pact, the United States has already agreed to
withdraw combat troops from Iraqi cities by next June and from the
rest of Iraq by the end of 2011, assuming that conditions in the
country remain stable.
Iran, meanwhile, stepped up pressure against the proposed agreement,
with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad telling a visiting Iraqi official on
Tuesday that Iraq had "a duty" to resist the Americans, The Associated
Press reported.
Also on Tuesday, an Iraqi panel led by President Jalal Talabani
approved the provincial elections legislation passed by Parliament
late last month. The panel’s action clears the way for elections to
take place by Jan. 31. The elections are seen by many American and
Iraqi officials as critical to reconciliation among Iraq’s political
and religious factions.
Although the presidential panel approved the elections measure, it
also recommended that Parliament vote separately on an article of
the bill dealing with political representation for Christians and
other minorities.
The article, which set aside 15 provincial council seats around the
country for minorities, was in an earlier version of the bill but
was dropped before the legislation was passed by Parliament.
Eman al-Assadi, a member of Parliament’s legal committee, said that
the question of minority representation would be taken up by lawmakers
on Wednesday. The members, she said, would consider several possible
solutions, including voting on the article separately and forming a
committee to draft a new law addressing the issue.
The removal of the article from the law stirred protests by Christians
and other groups.
Mr. Negroponte, who during his stay in Iraq visited Kirkuk —
the northern city at the center of a dispute among Arabs, Kurds,
Turkmens, Christians and other groups — called the passage of the
provincial elections legislation "noteworthy," but also mentioned
the issue of minorities.
"I heard often while traveling, and in my meetings with the government
of Iraq, that it was of paramount importance to resolve the call for
minority representation during the electoral process," he said. He
added that Iraq had made many gains and was "slowly but surely
strengthening its democracy."
In Mosul on Tuesday, an American soldier died of wounds sustained in a
firefight at a home where it was believed an insurgent had been hiding,
the United States military said. When gunfire erupted from the house,
an airstrike was conducted, the military said, adding that an Iraqi
police officer and an insurgent were also killed.
The American military also said Tuesday that 46 Armenian troops were
returning home. The Armenians served under a Polish brigade that
earlier this month ended its mission in Iraq. Troops from Italy,
Spain, Japan and other countries have also departed.
In a statement, the military said that 380 Armenian troops had served
in Iraq since 2005, providing support in transportation, engineering
and medicine.
Suadad al-Salhy and Atheer Kakan contributed reporting.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress