.Iraq Rejects SOFA
"The first two reports claiming Maliki has rejected the deal have come from Iran's Press TV and the AFP.
This will be a body blow to the Bush Administration who had hoped the deal would be signed next month. Sheikh Humam Hamoody, a senior MP from the SIIC bloc, made clear a few days ago that the Iraqi government will not be pressured to sign the deal early and that there will be "no time limit" for them, other MP's voiced anger over the deal and of course Sistani said he would reject any deal that would infringe Iraq's sovereignty. But now, according to journalists in Amman, Maliki has rejected the deal just days after he met the Iranian leaders. The key word again is 'sovereignty':
"We have reached an impasse, because when we opened these negotiations we did not realise that the US demands would so deeply affect Iraqi sovereignty and this is something we can never accept,"
This couldn't have come at a better time for the Iranians. The Iraqi delegation was sent to Iran to address certain issues, most important of which was security, and Iraqi politicians have lately been more and more vocal on Iranian interference in Iraqi affairs. After successfully managing to sweet-talk the Iraqi's in Tehran, they have now turned attention to the SOFA. The first word of every conversation with every official must have been "America". It makes you wonder if Iraq is really the issue anymore.
Iran 1-0 USA"
Eye Raki
This will be a body blow to the Bush Administration who had hoped the deal would be signed next month. Sheikh Humam Hamoody, a senior MP from the SIIC bloc, made clear a few days ago that the Iraqi government will not be pressured to sign the deal early and that there will be "no time limit" for them, other MP's voiced anger over the deal and of course Sistani said he would reject any deal that would infringe Iraq's sovereignty. But now, according to journalists in Amman, Maliki has rejected the deal just days after he met the Iranian leaders. The key word again is 'sovereignty':
"We have reached an impasse, because when we opened these negotiations we did not realise that the US demands would so deeply affect Iraqi sovereignty and this is something we can never accept,"
This couldn't have come at a better time for the Iranians. The Iraqi delegation was sent to Iran to address certain issues, most important of which was security, and Iraqi politicians have lately been more and more vocal on Iranian interference in Iraqi affairs. After successfully managing to sweet-talk the Iraqi's in Tehran, they have now turned attention to the SOFA. The first word of every conversation with every official must have been "America". It makes you wonder if Iraq is really the issue anymore.
Iran 1-0 USA"
Eye Raki
posted by madtom at 9:06 PM
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