Agreement In Baghdad
AGREEMENT IN BAGHDAD?....Via Juan Cole, al-Sabah reports that Iraq and the U.S. are close to finalizing a status-of-forces agreement:
According to a memorandum of understanding to be signed by the two parties after a summary of results is presented to political leaders, Baghdad and Washington have set a time limit for the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq during the years 2010 and 2011, subject to change according to circumstances.Obviously, take this with a grain of salt. There's no confirmation yet. But it's certainly along the lines that I expect both sides to eventually agree to.....The withdrawal may be completed by mid-2010, according to our sources. They also say that a consensus had been reached regarding the issue of arrests. The agreement stipulates that arrests by the American army can only be made with the advance knowledge of the Iraqi government, and that no violations of the rights of Iraqi citizens will be permitted.