top
Iraq
Iraq
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

Iraq: US pact changes not enough

by Al Jazeera (reposted)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008 : Government spokesman says Washington should offer new amendments to security pact.

Iraq's government spokesman has said the United States' offers of changes to a draft security agreement are "not enough" and asked Washington to offer new amendments if it wants the pact to win parliamentary approval.

The comments on Monday by Ali al-Dabbagh were the first by the Iraqis since the US submitted a response last week to an Iraqi request for changes in the draft agreement.

The agreement would keep US troops In Iraq until 2012 and give Iraq a greater role in the management of the US mission.

Al-Dabbagh said his remarks constituted the government response but it had not been officially conveyed to the Americans.

There was no immediate comment from US officials, who had described the latest draft submitted to the Iraqis as a "final text".

Privately, however, some US officials have said they expect protracted haggling over the agreement, with the Iraqis pressing for more concessions until the last minute.

"The American answer is not enough for the government to accept it in its current form," al-Dabbagh told the Associated Press news agency.

'Suitable answers'

"There are still some points in which we have not reached a bilateral understanding."

Al-Dabbagh said the government was inviting the US "to give answers that are suitable to the Iraqis".

Read More
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$110.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network