Iraqis: U.S. Troop Pullout Deal Is Close

Iraq Officials Say Combat Troops Would Leave By 2010, But U.S. Officials Offer No Firm Date

(CBS/ AP)  Iraq and the U.S. are near an agreement on all American combat troops leaving Iraq by October 2010, with the last soldiers out three years after that, two Iraqi officials told The Associated Press on Thursday. U.S. officials, however, insisted no dates had been agreed.

The proposed agreement calls for Americans to hand over parts of Baghdad's Green Zone — where the U.S. Embassy is located — to the Iraqis by the end of 2008. It would also remove U.S. forces from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, according to the two senior officials, both close to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and familiar with the negotiations.

The officials, who spoke separately on condition of anonymity because the talks are ongoing, said all U.S. combat troops would leave Iraq by October 2010, with the remaining support personnel gone "around 2013." The schedule could be amended if both sides agree — a face-saving escape clause that would extend the presence of U.S. forces if security conditions warrant it.

U.S. acceptance — even tentatively — of a specific timeline would represent a dramatic reversal of American policy in place since the war began in March 2003.

Both Iraqi and American officials agreed that the deal is not final and that a major unresolved issue is the U.S. demand for immunity for U.S. soldiers from prosecution under Iraqi law.

Throughout the conflict, U.S. President George W. Bush steadfastly refused to accept any timetable for bringing U.S. troops home. Last month, however, Bush and al-Maliki agreed to set a "general time horizon" for ending the U.S. mission.

Bush's shift to a timeline was seen as a move to speed agreement on a security pact governing the U.S. military presence in Iraq after the U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year.

Iraq's Shiite-led government has been holding firm for some sort of withdrawal schedule — a move the Iraqis said was essential to win parliamentary approval.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad declined to comment on details of the talks. Embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nangtongo said the negotiations were taking place "in a constructive spirit" based on respect for Iraqi sovereignty.

In Washington, U.S. officials acknowledged that some progress has been made on the timelines for troop withdrawals but that the immunity issue remained a huge problem. One senior U.S. official close to the discussion said no dates have been agreed upon.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations have not been finished.

A White House official says the U.S. and Iraq are discussing "conditions-based time horizons and aspirational goals" aimed at reaching an agreement on the future U.S. military role in Iraq, reports CBS News' Peter Maer. The official declined to cite any pullout dates, noting President Bush and Prime Minister al Maliki have agreed that goals must be based on "improving conditions on the ground and not any arbitrary date for withdrawal." Pressed repeatedly about reports of a 2010 pullout goal, the official said, "We're not going to put any artificial dates out there."

But the Iraqis insisted the dates had been settled preliminarily between the two sides, although they acknowledged that nothing is final until the entire negotiations have been completed.

One Iraqi official said persuading the Americans to accept a timetable was a "key achievement" of the talks and that the government would seek parliamentary ratification as soon as the deal is signed.

But differences over immunity could scuttle the whole deal, the Iraqis said. One of the officials described immunity as a "minefield" and said each side was sticking by its position.

One official said U.S. negotiator David Satterfield told him that immunity for soldiers was a "red line" for the United States. The official said he replied that issue was "a red line for us too."

The official said the Iraqis were willing to grant immunity for actions committed on American bases and during combat operations — but not a blanket exemption from Iraqi law.

Another senior official says Ambassador Ryan Crocker is personally leading this phase of the talks, Maer reports.

The Iraqis also want American forces to hand over any Iraqi they detain. The U.S. insists that detainees must be "ready" for handover, which the Iraqi officials assume means the Americans want to interrogate them first.

As the talks drag on, American officials said the Bush administration is losing patience with the Iraqis over the negotiations, which both sides had hoped to wrap up by the end of July.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and al-Maliki had a long and "very difficult" phone conversation about the situation on Wednesday during which she pressed the Iraqi leader for more flexibility particularly on immunity, one U.S. senior official said.

"The sovereignty issue is very big for the Iraqis and we understand that. But we are losing patience," the official said. "The process needs to get moving and get moving quickly."

The official could not say how long the call lasted but said it was "not brief" and "tense at times."

In London, Britain's defense ministry said it is also in talks with Iraq's government over the role of British troops after the U.N. mandate runs out. Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently said that early next year Britain will reduce its troops in Iraq, now at about 4,100, and that Britain's role in the country will change fundamentally.

Iraq's position in the U.S. talks hardened after a series of Iraqi military successes against Shiite and Sunni extremists in Basra, Baghdad, Mosul and other major cities and after the rise in world oil prices flooded the country with petrodollars.

As the government's confidence rose, Iraqi officials believed they were in a strong negotiating position — especially with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, pledging to remove all combat forces within his first 16 months in office if security conditions allow.

Standing firm against the Americans also enhances al-Maliki's nationalist credentials, enabling him to appeal for support from Iraqis long opposed to the U.S. presence.

On Thursday, a spokesman for Muqtada al-Sadr said the Shiite cleric will call on his fighters to maintain a cease-fire against American troops — but may lift the order if the security agreement fails to contain a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal.

The statement by Sheik Salah al-Obeidi came as al-Sadr planned to spell out details of a formula to reorganize his Mahdi Army militia by separating it into an unarmed "cultural" organization and elite fighting cells.

The announcement is expected during weekly Islamic prayer services on Friday.

"This move is meant to offer an incentive for the foreign forces to withdraw," al-Obeidi said. "The special cells of fighters will not strike against foreign forces until the situation becomes clear vis-a-vis the Iraq-U.S. agreement on the presence of American forces here."

Several cease-fires by al-Sadr have been key to a sharp decline in violence over the past year. But American officials still consider his militiamen a threat and have backed the Iraqi military in operations to try to oust them from their power bases in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq.

[babooph]

NOW its to be done-we could have lied & claimed to have won 5 years ago-the brainwashed public are easily sold by the propaganda system-they will cheer themselves & hears into endless poverty-just a lot faster now.

[leftyintexas]

"The sovereignty issue is very big for the Iraqis and we understand that. But we are losing patience," the official said. "The process needs to get moving and get moving quickly."

LOSING PATIENCE??? Then get the heii out of THEIR COUNTRY!! DUMBYA WILL LIVE TO REGRET THE DAY HE EVER SET FOOT IN IRAQ! But then again he''s too stupid to know when that day comes! Only 165 days left! OBAMA IN 08!!

[bobnjersey]

[4/ American companies should get lucrative deals so that they can reap huge profit so that they can pay taxes to the motherland , remember , a corporation pays double taxes and more than 30% of its profit is going back to the government. that is why Alexander the GReat , Gengis khan, the Roman , the British conquered new land , the ONLY different is America is the most humane,charitable, and JUST Empire of them all , why , because we are a DEMOCRACY , our constitution is written on the basis of " Justice and Freedom for All" , a First in the HIstory of Mankind!]
[Posted by alohaone1 at 06:29 PM : Aug 07, 2008]

unless of course they aren''t incorporated in the us of a ... and instead have their office in the bermuda ... or maybe in quatar.

so it sounds like you''re acknowledging that the whole wmd reasoning was a cover ... a cover for what really is a control of other people''s resources for our own end ... which has been such a successful strategy so far ... one that has contributed to the events of 911 in the first place.

[liberalme]

Posted by terrorislamv at 07:45 AM : Aug 08, 2008

Here Lars,


LONG LIVE OBAMA--he was right all along about getting out of Iraq!!

Say it out Lars--Obama was right!!!!

[xmanborg]

terrorislamv

YOU NEED SOME SERIOUS MENTAL HELP.

[navyretired2]

Y''all kill me...Dems can''t understand anything Repubs like/want, Repubs can''t understand anything Dems like/want.

In the end you''re just two window-lickers fighting over the same seat on the shortbus.

[ajaxtheleast]

THE TWIN TOWERS ARE BURNING!!!

EVACUATE TOWER "B"!!!


,,,,,AND "C"!!! EVACUATE!,,EVACUATE!!!

[obama441]

will somebody please report terrorspamvirus...

[omnibus66]

There''s going to be a time line for withdrawal of American troops.

Now it''s going to be fun to watch McCain flip his flop.

[skyk-2009]

When the leaders of Iraq came out and openly agreed to Obama''s position on a Time Line, Bush/McBush were kinda out of things at that point. It became clear to both of them at that point that there was NOT going to be American Military in that Nation for 100 years or 50 years. It became apparent at that point that the Neocon dream of using that nation as a base in the middle east was just that, a Neocon Dream, so why NOT agree to the time line EVERYONE else has accepted.

[skyk-2009]

Looky! The Spam King is here!

Posted by nextGenMan at 06:49 AM : Aug 08, 2008

LOL Yep! It''s embarrassing that they let this guy on these boards.

[nextgenman]

Posted by terrorislamv at 06:35 AM : Aug 08, 2008
--------------

Looky! The Spam King is here!

[ajmarine111]

Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author (1817-1862)

"I choose my friends like I choose my books......few, but choice".

[downtowner97]

Rename them. They can go from being "troops" to being "advisers". Look how well that worked for Johnson.

[imnho]

Deputpy festus said,"Marshall Dillon,Marshall Dillon!What are we going to do?"

Marshall Dillon repllied," I don''t know about you but I''m getting the hell out of dodge."

Since civil war is going to happen in the future we should leave in a timely manner.

[clovisbuford]

A lot of those Muslims working at TI and that have their own prayer room/terrorist training room are members of the same group that are currently on trial on federal charges of raising money for Islamic
Terrorist groups and here is an American company helping them by furnishing an inviolate place for them to pray, hold secret meetings, possibly set up an Al Qaeda cell under company sponsorship.

Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Posted by HHROAMS at 06:59 PM : Aug 07, 2008
Its hard to say which side this troll wants to help ,but a troll none the less .."err boss I am an indicted terroist" .."great hamid go back to your terrorist training center in meeting room 311,and tell HR you will be off work for a few months and make sure you see how the company lawyers can help "
sounds plausible doessnt it ? specially in Texas where a lot of its facilities are based .cough

[neobrian-2009]

*****BREAKING NEWS ************
Shrub finally got on the internets,But,McSame can`t turn his on to reply,..The Re-Cons make history Every day,As Comic Strip Characters..They Are THE MOST INEPT MORONS to Ever waste Air !

[nearl4511]

Great news!!

Let''s get out then.

[alohaone1]

what exactly did you expect to ''''''''come home with'''''''' from iraq? don''''''''t say success unless you''''''''re prepared to define it in detail-------
Posted by bobnjersey at 05:55 PM : Aug 07, 2008
--For your informantion, some of the benefits are:
1/Strategic positioning of our troops in the Oil REgion of the world , where all the powers since the invention of the internal combustion engines , want to be . Control of the energy flow and you can control the world! 2/ The ability to control Iran , whose mad actions can de-stabilize the whole region and affect not only us but also the rest of the world.3/ It is about time that a stabilized and prosperous Iraq pay us back for the sacrifices that we put forth in their interest . Just like Japan , Korea , SAudi Arabia pay us back in the form of hosting our troops , Iraqis should be doing the same thing now that we have just rescued them from a tyranny & a civil war . 4/ American companies should get lucrative deals so that they can reap huge profit so that they can pay taxes to the motherland , remember , a corporation pays double taxes and more than 30% of its profit is going back to the government. that is why Alexander the GReat , Gengis khan, the Roman , the British conquered new land , the ONLY different is America is the most humane,charitable, and JUST Empire of them all , why , because we are a DEMOCRACY , our constitution is written on the basis of " Justice and Freedom for All" , a First in the HIstory of Mankind!

[randynason]

I guess the 700 million dollar embassy can be converted into low income housing for disadvantaged Iraqis. What a great idea for Bush to promote, for all the people he wanted to give freedom and democracy. Meanwhile, here in the U.S. our own freedom and democracy is being sold to the highest bidder, along with our oil and national landmarks.