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US troops to quit Iraq by 2011
23.8.2008
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August
23, 2008
BAGHDAD, Iraq,— Negotiators have
finalised a deal which will see the complete
withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by 2011, ending an
eight-year occupation, the top official in the Iraqi
team told AFP.
Under the 27-point deal all American combat troops
will be withdrawn from Iraqi cities by next June,
negotiator Mohammed al-Haj Hammoud said Friday.
The agreement has already been approved by US
President George W. Bush and now needs to be
endorsed by Iraqi leaders, he added.
But while Bush seemed poised to reverse his previous
opposition to a target date for withdrawal,www.ekurd.net
the White House poured
cold water on Iraq's account of the deal saying
details had yet to be worked out.
"There are still discussions ongoing," White House
spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. "It's not done until
it's done."
Hammoud said Baghdad and Washington had agreed to
"withdraw the US troops from Iraq by end of 2011."
"The combat troops will withdraw from Iraqi cities
by June 2009. Both the parties have agreed on this,"
he added. "The negotiators' job is done. Now it is
up to the leaders."
The security pact will decide the future of US
forces in Iraq once the present UN mandate, which
provides the legal framework for the presence of
foreign forces in Iraq, expires in December.
Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had
agreed last November to formalise such an agreement
by July 31.
The arrangement was delayed by strong opposition
from Iraqi leaders over issues such as a timetable
for withdrawal,www.ekurd.net
how many bases
Washington would retain and whether American troops
would be immune from Iraqi laws.
A US military official in Washington, speaking on
condition of anonymity, said on Thursday that under
the agreement the withdrawal of US forces from Iraqi
cities "could be as early as June, conditions
permitting."
He did not say when it was envisaged that US combat
troops would be pulled out of the country, but said
the two sides had negotiated "time horizons" and
"general aspirations."
"The balance we're trying to reach is between Iraq's
stated desire to have a more concrete view of US
forces levels out through the years, and our desire
it be based on conditions on the ground," the
official said.
News of the proposed agreement quickly became fodder
for the US presidential race, with Democrat Barack
Obama saying the Bush administration had capitulated
to his party's calls for a firm date for the
departure of US troops.
"I am glad the administration has finally shifted to
accepting a timetable for the removal of our combat
troops from Iraq," Obama said in a statement.
The White House in the past rejected withdrawal
timetables as setting a "surrender date," but now it
says that conditions on the ground allow for "aspirational
time horizons" for bringing US troops home.
Hammoud said all issues had been addressed in the
deal.
He added, however, that there was a possibility US
troops could leave before 2011 or remain beyond the
target date.
"There is a provision that says the withdrawal could
be done even before 2011 or extended beyond 2011
depending on the (security) situation," he said.
Hammoud said that even if the withdrawal is
completed by 2011, some US troops could remain "to
train Iraqi security forces."
He said the issue of how many bases Washington would
retain in Iraq depended on the number of troops left
behind for training purposes.
A number of committees would also look into offences
committed by American troops in Iraq. The immunity
offered to US soldiers currently in Iraq was one of
the main sticking points in the negotiations which
began in February.
The deal has drawn sharp criticism from Iraq's
political factions, especially from the
anti-American group of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
After Friday prayers in the central Shiite holy town
of Kufa, his followers denounced the deal.
Hammoud said the finalised draft would now be sent
to Iraq's executive council comprising Maliki,
President Jalal Talabani, his two deputies and the
president of the northern Kurdish region, Massud
Barzani.
It also has to be ratified by the Iraqi parliament.
The White House has said that US lawmakers would not
be asked to approve the pact. With 144,000 American
troops currently in Iraq, the issue is politically
sensitive in Washington as the November US
presidential election draws nearer.
Copyright, respective author or news agency, AFP
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