Out by 2011

17 November 2008



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Iraq-Namese Cabinet OKs US Forces Deal

The Green Zone government in Baghdad unanimously approved a deal over the week-end that allows US forces to remain in the country until 2011. This will replace the UN mandate that expires on December 31 of this year. The entire parliament will vote next week on the agreement, but it appears to be a foregone conclusion after the cabinet's approval. The light at the end of the tunnel isn't an oncoming train but the end of the war.

The deal has been a big headache for both sides for months. The US needs some kind of legal protection for its occupation of Iraq-Nam. The Green Zone government needs the US forces to remain in power, but at the same time, it needs to be seen to be anti-occupation if not anti-American to hold its position. As a result, the deal needed to be made for both parties.

The United States' National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe described the current situation as “an important and positive step.” He added, “While the process is not yet complete, we remain hopeful and confident we'll soon have an agreement that serves both the people of Iraq and the United States well and sends a signal to the region and the world that both our governments are committed to a stable, secure and democratic Iraq.”

That said, there are Iraq-Namese who don't like the arrangement. Hazem al-Araji, a senior Sadrist leader, told Agence France Presse, “We were surprised and shocked by this approval, which expresses devotion to the occupation by agreeing to the mandate the occupier wanted. This approval underestimates the blood of the martyrs, the opinion of the clerics, and the popular rejection of this agreement.”

The violence in Iraq-Nam is about to increase. AFP reported “on Friday Sadr announced the creation of a new militia -- the Brigades of the Promised Day.” The race is now between the Green Zone government's softly, softly approach to ending the American occupation and the violent end from the Sadrists. One wishes President Obama a lot of luck, because he will need it.



© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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