BAGHDAD — Iraq and Washington are “very close” to reaching a security agreement on the future American military presence in the country but have not resolved the question of granting U.S. soldiers immunity from prosecution, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Tuesday.
Speaking at a news conference in Baghdad’s Green Zone with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, Zebari said the two sides were near a deal but that “bold political decisions” would have to be made by Dec. 31, when the current U.N. security resolution mandating the multinational force expires.
The negotiations come at critical times for both nations. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, determined to show he is independent of Washington, wants more control over security and is insisting on an American troop withdrawal by the end of 2011. The U.S. is facing a widening financial crisis at home and a public growing weary of the high costs of keeping more than 146,000 soldiers in Iraq.
Iraqi military forces have made strides in taking over many operations in recent months, but Washington is concerned that ceding too much responsibility to the Iraqis too quickly could jeopardize the country’s declining violence and improved security. Two bombs exploded outside the Green Zone near the Iraqi Foreign Ministry shortly before Zebari and Negroponte met with reporters.
Among the contentious points in negotiations are a specific withdrawal date and Washington’s demand that U.S. soldiers in Iraq have immunity from local prosecution. Al-Maliki is facing pressure from nationalists not to allow soldiers to escape prosecution.
American soldiers have faced U.S. military courts-martial for alleged crimes.
Questions of criminal jurisdiction intensified among politicians after revelations in 2007 that private security guards with the company Blackwater USA accused of killing civilians would not be tried in Iraqi courts.
“This issue needs, I think, some bold political decisions. And we are at that stage,” said Zebari, adding that he expected “hectic political meetings here in Baghdad on this issue to determine the fate of the agreement.”
Negroponte did not elaborate on the talks, except to say that “both countries are pursuing this issue from the point of view of their own national self-interest.”
In recent weeks, the U.S. has blamed Iran for attempting to undermine the security talks. Baghdad and Tehran, both Shiite Muslim-led governments, have been increasing business and diplomatic ties, which has concerned Washington and Iraq’s Sunni Muslim neighbors.
