Iraqi Prime Minister Al-MalikiAl-Maliki Says Security Pact In US, Iraqi Interest
-- Yahoo News/AP
-- Yahoo News/AP
BAGHDAD - Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Monday that the government is ready to compromise to reach a security accord with the United States because Iraq still needs American troops despite the drop in violence.
In an interview with The Associated Press, al-Maliki said neither he nor Iraq's parliament will accept any pact that fails to serve the country's national interests. A poorly constructed plan would provoke so much discord in Iraq that it could threaten his government's survival, he said.
Al-Maliki said, however, that he is firmly committed to reaching an accord that would allow U.S. troops to remain in the country beyond next year.
"We regard negotiating and reaching such an agreement as a national endeavor, a national mission, a historic one. It is a very important agreement that involves the stability and the security of the country and the existence of foreign troops. It has a historic dimension," al-Maliki said.
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More News On The Iraq/U.S. Security Pact
Al-Maliki sees compromise with U.S. on security accord -- Star Tribune
U.S. negotiators to return to Iraq for security talks -- International Herald Tribune
My Comment: The Iraqi Government is beginning to realize that maybe the American military does serve a useful role in Iraq after all. Criticism and delays in negotiating this agreement are slowly disappearing, indicating a strong willingness to move on.
I predict an agreement on this security pact by November or early December.