Rice discusses troop withdrawals with Iraqis

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-21 17:24

BAGHDAD - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice flew into Baghdad on Thursday for discussions with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other top Iraqi officials, hoping to iron out remaining differences in a US-Iraq security deal that envisions the withdrawal of American troops.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, left, and Poland's Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, right, are seen prior to signing an agreement to place a US missile defense base in northern Poland, at the prime minister's office in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008. [Agencies]

"The negotiators have taken this very, very far," she told reporters, "but there is no reason to believe that there is an agreement yet." She flew into Baghdad amid indications that a draft deal had been concluded, but she said that was premature.

"There are still issues concerning exactly how our forces operate," Rice said. "The agreement rests on aspirational timelines."

Rice declined to talk about specifics, but US officials said more work is needed to reach agreements on a timeline for US troop withdrawals, immunity for US troops and the handling of Iraqi prisoners.

"Ultimately the prime minister has to make the call on moving forward," Rice said. She described her visit as "a chance for me to meet with the prime minister and see what we can do from Washington to get to closure."

Iraqi and American officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday that negotiators had completed a draft agreement that extends the legal basis for US troops to remain in Iraq beyond the end of this year, while calling for them to move out of Iraqi cities as soon as June 30.

A senior US military official in Washington said the deal is acceptable to the US side, subject to formal approval by President Bush. It also requires approval by Iraqi leaders, and some members of Iraq's Cabinet oppose some provisions.

Also completed is a companion draft document, known as a strategic framework agreement, spelling out in broad terms the political, security and economic relationships between Iraq and the United States, the senior military official said. The official discussed the draft accords on condition that he not be identified by name because the deals have not been publicly announced and are not final.

In addition to spelling out that US troops would move out of Iraqi cities by next summer, the Iraqi government has pushed for a specific date - most likely the end of 2011 - by which all US forces would depart the country. In the meantime, the US troops would be positioned on bases in other parts of the country to make them less visible while still being able to assist Iraqi forces as needed.

There are now about 140,000 US troops in Iraq.

US officials have resisted committing firmly to a specific date for a final pullout, insisting that it would be wiser to set a target linked to the attainment of certain agreed-upon goals. These goals would reflect not only security improvements but also progress on the political and economic fronts.

It was not clear Wednesday how that has been settled in the draft security accord, which the two governments are referring to as a memorandum of understanding. The draft agreement must be approved by the Iraqi parliament, which is in recess until early next month.

Late Wednesday a second senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two sides have come up with a draft agreement that addresses the issue of the timing of future US troop withdrawals, but the official would not say whether the two sides had agreed on 2011 for a final pullout. The official suggested there would be a series of timelines set, linked to conditions on the ground, and that the draft worked out by the negotiators required more talks at higher levels of the two governments.

An Iraqi official who was involved in the protracted negotiations said a compromise had been worked out on the contentious issue of whether to provide US troops immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law, but he did not give details. In Washington, the senior military official said the draft agreement reflects the US position that the United States must retain exclusive legal jurisdiction over its troops in Iraq.

While Iraqi negotiators signed off on the draft, another official close to al-Maliki said the country's political leadership objected to parts of the text, including the immunity provision. He would not elaborate and spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.