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Baghdad: The Iraqi government succeeded in removing an article from the proposed security pact with the United States that would have given the Americans the right to attack another country from within Iraqi territories, officials said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki managed to remove the controversial point from the planned deal to assure neighbouring Iran, according to a source in the Iraqi Cabinet.
The sources also said the deal, which is being finalised according to Iraqi and US officials, will not be the long term agreement as previously announced.
Agreement
"It will be sort of a memorandum of understanding," said the source, citing the need for approval of the US Congress in the case of a full-fledged agreement and pointing out that could be difficult as the term of President George Bush is nearing its end.
"What are likely to get is an MoU signed by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, and on the American side by Ambassador Ryan Crocker," Abdul Karim Al Samarai, vice-chairman of the Security and Defense Committee in the Iraqi parliament told Gulf News. He believed the deal would not be binding for the next American administration.
He said there is some concern within the Iraqi government that the United States would not accept the Iraqi demand that any American military movement inside Iraq should be sanctioned by the Baghdad authorities. Talks about this issue are still not conclusive, he added.
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