Iraqis claim U. S. seeks 58 bases in country
BAGHDAD — High-level negotiations over the future role of the U. S. military in Iraq have turned into an increasingly acrimonious public debate, with Iraqi politicians denouncing what they say are U. S. demands to maintain 58 bases in their country indefinitely.
Top Iraqi officials are calling for a radical reduction in the U. S. military’s role here after the U. N. mandate authorizing its presence expires at the end of this year. Encouraged by recent Iraqi military successes, government officials have said the United States should agree to confine American troops to military bases unless the Iraqis ask for their assistance.
“The Americans are making demands that would lead to the colonization of Iraq,” said Sami al-Askary, a Shiite politician who is close to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. “If we can’t reach a fair agreement, many people think we should say, ‘Goodbye U. S. troops! We don’t need you here anymore.’ ”
The Iraqis’ willingness to consider calling for the departure of U. S. troops represents a major shift for members of the
U. S.-backed government. Al- Maliki this week visited Iran, where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged him to reject any long-term security deal with the United States.
Failing to reach agreements this year authorizing the presence of American forces in Iraq would be a strategic setback for the Bush administration, which says such a presence is essential to promote stability. Without the agreements or the extension of the U. N. mandate, American troops would have no legal basis to remain in Iraq.
President Bush has spoken with al-Maliki about the issue recently and instructed his negotiating team to show greater flexibility, Iraqi politicians said. Over the weekend, U. S. officials circulated a draft of the status of forces agreement without many of the most controversial demands, buoying hopes that a deal could be reached, according to Iraq lawmakers.
David Satterfield, the State Department’s top adviser on Iraq, said he was confident the pacts could be finalized next month.
Satterfield repeated the U. S. goal to create a more independent Iraq.
Haider al-Abadi, a parliament member from al-Maliki’s Dawa party, and other Iraqi officials said that claim was undercut by the U. S. request to maintain 58 long-term bases in Iraq. The Americans originally had pushed for more than 200 facilities across the country, according to an Iraqi official.
The U. S. also demanded continuation of the authority to detain and hold Iraqis without turning them over to the Iraqi judicial system, immunity from Iraqi prosecution for both U. S. troops and private contractors, and the ability of U. S. forces to conduct operations without Iraqi approval.
