InfoAnda - Analysis: Iraq U.S. troop deal drifts over immunity |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Suicide attack kills seven Afghan police | 5 August 2010
Malaysia's opposition alliance puts house in order | 4 November 2009
Fielder could get bigger payday than Pujols in 2012 | 16 June 2011

Motorola rises ahead of next Android phone launch | Technology | | 20 October 2009

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Analysis: Iraq U.S. troop deal drifts over immunity |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Green Business Legal Deals Earnings Summits Business Video Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia Afghan Journal Africa Journal India Insight Global News Journal Pakistan: Now or Never? World Video Politics Politics Home Front Row Washington Politics Video Technology Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland Felix Salmon Jack Shafer Breakingviews David Rohde Bernd Debusmann Gregg Easterbrook Nader Mousavizadeh James Saft David Cay Johnston Edward Hadas Christopher Whalen Ian Bremmer Mohamed El-Erian Lawrence Summers The Great Debate Unstructured Finance Newsmaker Money Money Home Analyst Research Global Investing MuniLand Reuters Money John Wasik Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Life & Culture Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Left Field Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Article Comments (0) Full Focus Photos of the week Our top photos from the past week. Full Article Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Libyan government steps up security after clashes in capital | 6:54am EDT Iran warns off West over alleged Saudi envoy plot 8:03am EDT Discussed 241 Who’s behind the Wall St. protests? 148 Alabama immigration law decried, applauded as some flee state 133 Hank Williams Jr. lashes out at media in new song Watched Japanese airline, ANA, apologises for plane flip Fri, Sep 30 2011 Rihanna's "inappropriate" outfit halts music video Tue, Sep 27 2011 China : what is a "hard landing"? Sun, Oct 9 2011 Analysis: Iraq U.S. troop deal drifts over immunity Tweet Share this Email Print Factbox Factbox: History of Iranian-Saudi relations Wed, Oct 12 2011 Related News Obama sends military advisers to central Africa Fri, Oct 14 2011 Two bombings kill 16 in Baghdad Shi'ite district Thu, Oct 13 2011 Saudis, U.S. trade charges with Iran over plot Wed, Oct 12 2011 Alleged bomb plot seen heating Middle East Cold War Wed, Oct 12 2011 Analysis & Opinion Were NATO strikes on Gaddafiâ€™s home town justified? Looking to Afghanistan’s future Related Topics World » Iraq » Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki speaks at a ceremony to mark the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammed at Um al-Qura mosque in Baghdad February 15, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Mohammed Ameen By Patrick Markey BAGHDAD | Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:00am EDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Just weeks before U.S. troops plan to leave Iraq, the country's political elite and Washington are at odds over whether American soldiers stay as trainers: Baghdad rejects any legal immunity for U.S. soldiers and Washington says that means no deal. Without a shift in Iraq's position, any accord will likely now fall somewhere in between as Iraq's political stalemate, U.S. domestic opposition to the war and a lack of time force a deal that leaves a just few hundred American soldiers in Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki last week said U.S. troops could stay on as part of the small NATO mission or as part of an already existing U.S. embassy military training program which would give American troops legal protections. The country's political leadership gave Maliki the green light to negotiate, but without immunity -- a sensitive matter that would have required tricky horse-trading within his fragile cross-sectarian government and possible defeat in parliament. But Washington sounds skittish on the options, insisting U.S. troops would need full protections or at least assurances that whatever Iraq offers would bring the same legal cover. "I can't see the United States agreeing to blanket Iraqi jurisdiction," said Stephen Biddle at the Council on Foreign Relations. "If it is more than just brinkmanship and if they are going to insist on this, then I think the United States will decline to stay at all." More than eight years after the U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, around 41,000 troops are in Iraq mostly advising Iraqi forces since ending combat operations last year. While violence has fallen since the sectarian slaughter in 2006-2007, Iraq still suffers daily attacks from a stubborn insurgency allied with al Qaeda and from Shi'ite militia. In private some Iraqi leaders acknowledge they would like a U.S. troop presence as a guarantee in a country where sectarian tensions still simmer and Iraqi Arabs and Kurds are in dispute over who controls oil-rich areas in the north of Iraq. Only anti-U.S. Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr openly opposes a continued U.S. presence. His militia once battled U.S. troops, but he is now a key political ally for Maliki. His opposition to U.S. troops complicates the Iraqi leader's position. Maliki says Iraq needs fewer than the 3,400 troops U.S. officials requested. But his alternatives leave little room for Washington. The embassy's Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq or OSC-I already has trainers covered by diplomatic immunity as part of the State Department. Attaching more uniformed officers maybe the most viable option, but numbers would likely be limited. "Under this agreement it could be just 200, or 300," said Iraqi lawmaker Sami al-Askari, a Maliki ally. "They have no option. The alternative is for them to leave altogether." SENSITIVE ISSUE Immunity is a sensitive issue for many Iraqis who remember abuses committed by U.S. forces and contractors during the worst years of the war. U.S. soldiers in other countries also have the kind of legal protections Washington wants in Iraq. Under the current deal, U.S. soldiers come under U.S. jurisdiction for certain crimes committed on duty. Bringing U.S. troops under the umbrella of the small NATO training mission in Iraq could also provide Americans with legal protections. But that option brings its own problems. NATO has fewer than 200 staff involved in training such as police work and logistics in the mission set to end in 2013. Iraqi lawmakers are now discussing a bill to expand the NATO program and allow some U.S. troops to stay. But that may not be enough for Washington and it could face resistance from NATO countries worried it would attract hostility against U.S. troops to the more low-key NATO operation. "Lots of people here are likely to find that even less reassuring than if our military folks were part of the U.S. diplomatic mission," David Mack, Middle East Institute Scholar and former U.S. ambassador. POLITICAL "DRIFT" Iraqi and U.S. officials say Iraq's armed forces are more capable now of containing the country's stubborn insurgency. But they acknowledge their military still needs training in areas such as air defense, logistics and intelligence gathering. Even without military trainers, hundreds of American civilian contractors will be going to Iraq to help Iraqi forces train up on hardware such as F-16 fighter jets. Some in Washington see a strong U.S. presence in Iraq as essential for stability and as a buffer against Iran's influence. Defense hawks such as Senator John McCain say more than 10,000 U.S. troops may be needed in Iraq. But a shift in Baghdad's position now looks difficult. Iraq's political process is already mired in squabbling among Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish blocs that make up the power-sharing government. "The risk is that you are at a tipping point where we are at the withdrawal date and they will negotiate a few trainers and that is all there will be," one Western diplomat said. "No one has the political courage to grip this and it will just drift." Still, when the United States and Iraq negotiated their 2008 security agreement, talks dragged for almost a year. Iraqi sovereignty, immunity and a date for withdrawal complicated negotiations before the final security agreement was signed. "U.S. troops will almost certainly stay," said Gala Riani at IHS Global Insight. "But the technicalities are still important for reassuring the Iraqi public and critical parties." $INS01; Line LNY Insave:- TI line name (Map report) World Iraq Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Social Stream (What's this?) Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Contact Us Advertise With Us Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Sunday, 16 October 2011
Syrian forces kill leading activist in tribal east |
Haiti says open for business with new government |
Michigan State makes it four straight wins over Michigan
Tulsa's Bubba Cunningham takes over as AD at UNC-Chapel Hill
Taliban did not kill Afghan president's brother: NATO |
Medvedev vows Russia won't stagnate under Putin |
Na Yeon Choi closing in on first win of season at Sime Darby
Michigan-Michigan State locked in 7-7 tie at half
Egypt army bans discrimination after unrest |
Demonstrators rampage through Rome, clash with police |
Sonic Youth co-founders Moore, Gordon split up |
Wall Street protests go global; riots hit Rome |
Bangkok braces but safe so far from floods |
Israel names prisoners to be freed in swap deal |
Despite collapse, BoSox owner sorry to see GM Epstein go
Mountain West, Conference USA combine for 22-team football league
Premier League: Liverpool, Man-U draw as Man City moves to top of table
Dan Herron returns, leads Ohio State to victory over Illinois
Cabrera-Bello holds narrow lead at Portugal Masters
Couples crushes field at AT&T with course record 62, leads by seven
Central America death toll at 45 from heavy rains |
McGladrey rookie-mania: Thompson, Horschel are one-two at Sea Island
This is no trick--pumpkin prices are getting scary
King memorial dedication rescheduled for Sunday expected to draw fewer
French left picks presidential runner, Hollande favoured |
Cuba's Ladies in White mourn leader, vow to go on |
Violence in Rome as 'Occupy' protests spread globally
Eighth Tibetan burns himself in protest in China |
Video game maker revels in similarities to Cain's tax plan |
Samsung heir apparent invited to Jobs memorial: source |
Facebook campaign may herald deeper changes in Bhutan |
Gaddafi diehards in Sirte hold up Libyan troops |
Syrian forces open fire in town on Lebanon border |
Stanford extends nation’s longest win-streak to 14, routs Washington State
Five killed as Yemenis hope for U.N. pressure on Saleh |
Israel names prisoners to be freed in swap deal |
Powerhouse UConn men, women's hoop teams tip off season
Rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ hat trick fails to lift Oilers vs. ‘Nucks
Analysis: Iraq U.S. troop deal drifts over immunity |
Dawson notches controversial KO of Hopkins, takes WBC lightweight title
Streaking Phil Kessel leads unbeaten Leafs past Flames
Shlemenko, Vianna win Middleweight tournament semifinals at Bellator 54
Troops kill three suicide bombers in east Afghan city |
Iran could scrap directly elected president: leader |
Rangers return to Fall Classic: Huge third inning finishes off Tigers
Israel torn by morality of Shalit prisoner swap |
Matt Kenseth wins Charlotte Cup race
Egypt's Mobinil says customer boycott subsides |
Robot movie Real Steel tops box office again |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01