World-News

Asia Times
by Gareth Porter

10/30/08

The threat by the George W Bush administration to withdraw all economic and military support from the Iraqi government if it does not ratify a pact to regulate the US presence in the country has fallen on deaf ears. The financial loss will hurt, but more than anything politicians - acutely aware of the country’s history - know what their fate will be if they are perceived as “agents for the Americans’...

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JJ31Ak02.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=security+pact
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Gareth+Porter

Baghdad wants to delete any reference in a security pact with Washington to the possibility of US troops staying in Iraq after 2011, an MP close to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Thursday.

http://tinyurl.com/677ols



US pact must guard Iraq sovereignty: top Shiite cleric

Top Iraqi Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani insists that the security pact being negotiated with Washington must not harm Iraq's sovereignty, his office said on Wednesday.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gw2cRozfL-fWuuihAcQxFiElbJTA



Senior Iraqi Leader Says Pact With U.S. Is Unlikely to Pass

The Bush administration has repeatedly said that the current draft of the agreement is the furthest that the United States is willing to go. "The bar to any revisions is very high," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

http://mobile.washingtonpost.com/detail.jsp?key=306424&rc=po&p=1&all=1



Iraq gov't wants all US troops gone by end of 2011

Those demands, which were presented to U.S. officials this week, could derail the deal - delivering a diplomatic blow to Washington in the final weeks of the Bush administration.

http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content.detail/id/63628.html?isap=1&nav=5030



US's Syrian raid sets Iraq on fire

It came as such a surprise to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that he was completely dumfounded at commenting. Here was the prime minister of Iraq, an ally of Iran and a former resident of Syria, watching Syria being attacked from his own territory - without his knowledge.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JK01Ak05.html


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=security+pact
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Iraq+withdraw
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=al-Maliki
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Syria
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Ali+Sistani

Angela Balakrishnan, The Guardian UK: "Improved security has failed to prevent Iraq becoming the scene of one of the world's most critical humanitarian disasters with water supplies and sewage systems putting millions at risk of disease, the Red Cross said today. The statement from the International Committee of the Red Cross said the situation has not improved significantly since March this year when the organization published its report, Iraq: No Let-up in The Humanitarian Crisis."

http://www.truthout.org/102908HA

Neither the White House nor the McCain campaign will tell you any of this. Without saying so explicitly, the Republicans leave the impression that Iraq is now a nearly pacific place. But let's look at the actual statistics for September - as compiled for the Brookings Institution's Iraq Index.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/columnists/story/521793.html



Iraq demands all US troops out by 2011

The Iraqi Cabinet today gave Nouri al-Maliki, the Prime Minister, approval to submit a series of proposed amendments to the US side for further negotiation. The changes would eliminate any possibility of the US military staying in the country for more than another three years, according to the source.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article5032531.ece



U.S. unlikely to accept revised Iraq security pact

The amendments would give Iraqi authorities the right to determine whether a U.S. service member was on- or off-duty when he or she committed an alleged crime outside American bases, where such an American would be tried. It also would allow authorities to inspect all U.S. cargo entering the nation.

http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_10844048?source=rss



Iraq says delayed U.S. forces deal must ban strikes on neighbours

Amendments sought by Iraq to a security pact with the United States would ban U.S. forces from striking neighbouring countries from Iraqi territory, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Wednesday.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=917112


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=McCain
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=al-Maliki
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=security+pact

Leila Fadel, McClatchy Newspapers: "The Iraqi cabinet agreed Tuesday to amend a draft agreement governing the status of U.S. forces in Iraq, but introduced new provisions that the U.S. military is unlikely to accept. Among other things, the amendments would give Iraqi authorities the right to determine whether a U.S. service member was on- or off-duty when he or she committed an alleged crime outside American bases, where such an American would be tried. It also would allow authorities to inspect all U.S. cargo entering the nation."

http://www.truthout.org/102908M



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=security+deal
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Leila+Fadel

Consortium News
by Robert Parry

10/27/08

John McCain continues to talk about a U.S. ‘victory’ in Iraq and Sarah Palin baits Barack Obama for not using the word ‘win’ when he discusses the war. But the hard reality facing whoever becomes President is a looming strategic defeat...

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2008/102708.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=McCain
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Palin
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Robert+Parry

http://www.lewrockwell.com/kwiatkowski/kwiatkowski215.html



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Afghanistan
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=com/kwiatkowski

By Press TV

Based on those provisions, the US would be granted the permission to build military bases, camps and prisons inside Iraq. The scope of the immunity from legal prosecution for the US forces--the most controversial provision of SOFA-- would also be extended to include all US security, military and civilian firms as well as the US army's contractors.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article21097.htm



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=security+deal
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=military+bases
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=immunity+prosecution
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=contractor

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/10/27-6

Tenuous Agreement on Maintaining US Troops in Iraq
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/10/27-12



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=security+deal
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Phyllis+Bennis