Shiite
Muslims march in a rally in the holy city of Najaf to
denounce
the surprise visit of U.S. Secretary of State Rice
to
Iraq, reportedly there to hammer out a controversial long-
term
security convention with Baghdad. Both
sides say they
are
close to signing such an agreement.
Sotal Iraq,
Iraq
Contents of the
Draft U.S.-Iraq Security Deal Must Be Revealed
"Despite the disclosure of
some of the contents of the Convention, there is much that remains unknown to the
Iraqi public … Disclosure would allay the fears of those who oppose the deal, even
though many of these people were opposed even before its first letters were
written."
By Managing Editor Abd Al Hadi Mahdi
Translated By Nicolas Dagher
August 24, 2008
Iraq
- Sotal Iraq - Original Article (Arabic)
Since the U.S. Secretary of
State's visit to Baghdad last Thursday, the Security Convention to be signed by
Iraq and the United States has become the dominant issue in the media - not
that it was much less of a topic before she arrived.
Rice's visit raised many
questions. Was the purpose of the visit to finalize the controversial agreement
or to push Iraqis to sort out the difficulties that are obstructing the
political process? Given that the current Republican administration is counting
the days leading to the end of its term, this may have been Rice's last visit
as Secretary of State.
Divided between opponents and
supporters of the Convention, statements in the Iraqi and the American
political arena have taken up tremendous media air time. In addition,
neighboring countries have entered the fray, with Iraqis assuring them that the
Convention won't be directed at them and will not be used as a springboard for
aggression against other nations [Many surrounding countries fear a long-term
U.S. presence, because they think Washington will use Iraq as a base for
attacking them].
And despite the disclosure of
some of the contents of the Convention, there is much that remains unknown to
the Iraqi public. Since no harm would result if Iraq's government made the
contents of the draft-Convention public before it is finalized, that is exactly
what it should do. That would be in the interest of creating a national
consensus and would show the Iraqi people how the agreement is compatible with
their aspirations. It would also allay the fears of those who oppose the deal,
even though many of these people were opposed to the agreement even before its
first letters were written.
Condoleezza
Rice with by Iraq's national security
adviser
Muwafaq al-Rubaie, right,
and Ryan Crocker,
the
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, after meeting Prime
Minister
Nouri al-Maliki, Aug. 21.
The central point in the
draft Convention is the contested scheduling of a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq,
where a consensus between the two parties remains elusive. And it is that
divergence of views has created such heated debate.
There's no doubt that the
Iraqi negotiating team has exerted great effort to reach an agreement that will
guarantee the rights of Iraq and secure its national sovereignty from any
eventuality that may arise later.
As usual, the various
opinions expressed by Iraqi officials have created public confusion. It would
be better if official contact with the media was limited to one responsible
official, so that there was a single clear official opinion regarding the
Convention.
But despite all the differing
Iraqi views, most of which stem from a genuine concern for Iraq, its national sovereignty
and all of the “red lines” that cannot be overlooked when our negotiating team
meets their opposing counterparts, the Convention, or should I say the draft,
must be the result of a consensus amongst all of Iraq's political parties. It
is therefore essential that the content of the draft are revealed before one
party or one of any number of officials with differing views leaks selected
elements for their own purposes.
CLICK HERE FOR ARABIC
VERSION
ALSO ON THE U.S.-IRAQ
SECURITY DEAL:
Sotal Iraq, Iraq
Iraqis Who Oppose U.S. Security
Deal Are Not Patriots
http://worldmeets.us/sotaliraq000009.shtml
Sotal Iraq, Iraq
Long-Term Security Treaty Between
Iraq and America 'Rejected'
http://worldmeets.us/sotaliraq000008.shtml
Kitabat, Iraq
Security Deal With America is Iraq's
'Opportunity of a Lifetime'
http://worldmeets.us/kitabat000019.shtml
Azzaman, Iraq
Dear Pentagon, Is This What You
Call 'Security?'
http://worldmeets.us/azzaman000181.shtml
Tehran Times, Islamic Republic of Iran
U.S.-Iraq Security Deal a Bush
Scheme to 'Steal' the Election for McCain
http://worldmeets.us/tehrantimes000037.shtml
[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US August 26, 7:15pm]
