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Iraqi Lawmakers Reveal New US Demands on Long-Term Deal

HeadlineJun 10, 2008

Iraqi lawmakers have released new details of Bush administration demands in talks over a long-term compact between Iraq and the United States. The negotiations are being held before the UN mandate authorizing the US occupation expires next month. According to the McClatchy Newspapers, Iraqi parliamentarians say the US has demanded control of at least fifty-eight military bases, as well as Iraqi airspace up to 30,000 feet. The fifty-eight US bases would nearly double the current total of around thirty bases. In what could be seen as a threat to Iran, the lawmakers also say the US has demanded rights that would effectively allow it to decide if another country is committing aggression against Iraq. The Bush administration does not consider its invasion and occupation an act of aggression against Iraq. But it’s repeatedly accused Iran of intervening in Iraq’s affairs. Iraqi lawmakers say they’ve rejected these proposals. The Independent of London reported last week US officials are leveraging tens of billions of dollars in seized Iraqi assets to push through its demands, which also include complete immunity for American soldiers and contractors. A leading lawmaker from the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq called the US proposals “more abominable than the occupation.” The lawmaker, Jalal al-Din al-Saghir, said, “Now we are being asked to sign for our own occupation. That is why we have absolutely refused all that we have seen so far.”

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