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US considering Iraq security deal US considering Iraq security deal
(about 3 hours later)
The US says it is considering a draft agreement with Iraq on the role of its troops there after the UN mandate for their presence expires later this year.The US says it is considering a draft agreement with Iraq on the role of its troops there after the UN mandate for their presence expires later this year.
Details have not been released, but officials say it would see US combat forces withdrawn from Iraqi towns and cities by the middle of 2009.Details have not been released, but officials say it would see US combat forces withdrawn from Iraqi towns and cities by the middle of 2009.
They would be pulled out of Iraq entirely by the end of 2011, they add. The troops would withdraw completely from Iraq by the end of 2011, they add.
Defence Secretary Robert Gates has begun briefing key members of Congress, although their approval is not needed.Defence Secretary Robert Gates has begun briefing key members of Congress, although their approval is not needed.
Obstacles have included how long US troops would stay and whether they would be immune from prosecution in Iraq. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is also said to be pressing Iraqi leaders to accept the deal.
The Iraqi government has publicly insisted on a clear timeline for withdrawal, but a Pentagon spokesman said any such movements would only be made as conditions allowed. On Wednesday, the Iraqi government said it was considering the draft because a compromise had been reached on the issue of immunity for US military personnel and contractors.
Mr Gates says the latest draft provides adequate protection for US forces, indicating that both sides have had to compromise in this process. Any deal must be approved by the Iraqi cabinet, the three-man Presidency Council, and critically, by the Council of Representatives.
Sovereignty 'undermined' Immunity issue
The Iraqi government regards blanket immunity for US troops and contractors as undermining their country's sovereignty, and officials suggest that Americans will only have immunity from Iraqi prosecution while they are on military operations, not if they are off duty. The current UN mandate for US-led coalition forces in Iraq expires on 31 December. About 144,000 of the 152,000 foreign troops deployed there are US military personnel.
I don't think the [defence] secretary would be making phone calls in support of the document if he didn't believe it adequately protected our forces in Iraq Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell I don't think the [defence] secretary would be making phone calls in support of the document if he didn't believe it adequately protected our forces Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell
The two sides have been close to agreement before, but the fact that the Bush administration is now briefing key members of Congress on the details of this document suggests the negotiations may now have run their course. The BBC's Richard Lister in Washington says major obstacles to an agreement on extending the mandate have included how long US troops would stay, and whether they would continue to be immune from prosecution in Iraq.
As Congress is not required to formally endorse this agreement, the biggest question mark remains over whether the Iraqis will. The Iraqi government has publicly insisted on a clear timeline for withdrawal, and US officials said the current draft included a timeline for US withdrawal before the end of 2011.
It has to be approved by three Iraqi political bodies, any of which could still amend it. It is also said to grant Iraqi judicial authorities limited ability to try US troops and contractors for major crimes committed off-duty or off-base - and only then if a joint US-Iraqi committee agreed.
But time is running out for this agreement - the current UN mandate for US-led coalition forces in Iraq expires on 31 December. The government in Baghdad believes the current immunity from Iraqi prosecution by granted to US troops and contractors by the former Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) undermines Iraqi sovereignty.
Misgivings
However, many members of Congress are concerned about allowing Iraq's judicial system to have even limited authority over US troops.
"I am sceptical of any agreement that would subject US servicemen and women to the jurisdiction of Iraqi courts in the middle of a chaotic war," Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told the Associated Press.
A Pentagon spokesman said the administration was not concerned by the draft agreement and that Mr Gates was currently calling Congressional leaders to explain the details.
"I don't think the secretary would be making phone calls in support of the document if he didn't believe it adequately protected our forces in Iraq," Geoff Morrell said, adding that it included both combat and legal protections.
Our correspondent says the two sides have been close to a deal before, but the fact that the Bush administration is now briefing key members of Congress on the details of this document suggests the negotiations may now have run their course.
But as they are not required to formally endorse this agreement, the biggest question mark remains over whether the Iraqis will, he adds.