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Baghdad (CNN) -- Iraqi political leaders agreed early
Wednesday that the Iraqi government will begin negotiating with U.S.
officials about leaving U.S. forces inside Iraq -- beyond their
scheduled departure at the end of the year -- on a training mission.
The
decision was reached after more than four hours of talks, which got
under way at 9 p.m. Tuesday at the residence of President Jalal Talabani
and wrapped up at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
"All political leaders
have agreed on the U.S training mission in Iraq except the Sadrists, who
have some reservations," Talabani told reporters afterward. He was
referring to supporters of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr,
who once fought pitched battles with U.S. and Iraqi government troops.
Al-Sadr himself has threatened to return to "armed resistance" if U.S.
forces remain.
"After extensive discussions, the leaders of the
political blocs headed by Iraq's President Jalal Talabani have agreed to
let the Iraqi government start negotiations with the American side only
on the issues of training and under the Strategic Framework Agreement,"
Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Ruz Nouri Shawees told reporters at the
president's residence.
"The Iraqi political leaders will be
watching the talks to consider any final agreement with the U.S. side,"
he said. The leaders did not say how many U.S troops the government
would need to train Iraqi security forces after 2011.
The
Strategic Framework Agreement, signed by U.S. and Iraqi representatives
in 2008, notes that security and defense cooperation shall be undertaken
"on the withdrawal of United States forces from Iraq and the
organization of their activities during their temporary presence in
Iraq."
Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of
Staff, said Monday the decision about whether U.S. forces are to remain
after December 31 needed to be made without delay. "The point is we're
at a deadline, and we need an answer," he told reporters.
About
44,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq through the end of the year, down from
about 170,000 at the peak of the war that followed the U.S.-led
invasion of 2003.
The remaining American contingent is scheduled
to withdraw by the end of the year -- and attacks on that force have
gone up as Iraqi leaders have debated whether to postpone that deadline.
Stuart
Bowen, the U.S. official overseeing reconstruction efforts, reported
Sunday that the country remains "extraordinarily dangerous" and is less
safe than it was a year ago.
U.S. commanders, including Mullen,
have blamed Shiite Muslim militias backed by neighboring Iran for the
increased attacks on American troops, 21 of whom have been killed in the
past three months.
On Sunday, dozens of tribal leaders loyal to
al-Sadr set up tents in eastern Baghdad and vowed to battle the
"occupiers" if American troops are allowed to remain. Al-Sadr's
followers now hold 39 seats in Iraq's 325-seat parliament. His movement
emerged as one of the kingmakers in Iraqi politics during the long
deadlock that followed the 2010 elections and played a major role in
clinching a second term for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
In
addition, attacks across the country killed 259 people in July and left
453 others wounded, according to figures released Monday by Iraq's
Interior Ministry. The figures also showed 22 "terrorists" were killed
and 115 others were arrested.
Those figures are
the second-highest monthly toll in the country this year, slightly
behind June's 271 deaths. But they are well below the 535 deaths
recorded in July 2010 -- and far below the bloodshed seen at the worst
of Iraq's sectarian warfare in 2005 and 2007, when monthly body counts
routinely topped 2,000. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Wednesday that the Iraqi government will begin negotiating with U.S.
officials about leaving U.S. forces inside Iraq -- beyond their
scheduled departure at the end of the year -- on a training mission.
The
decision was reached after more than four hours of talks, which got
under way at 9 p.m. Tuesday at the residence of President Jalal Talabani
and wrapped up at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
"All political leaders
have agreed on the U.S training mission in Iraq except the Sadrists, who
have some reservations," Talabani told reporters afterward. He was
referring to supporters of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr,
who once fought pitched battles with U.S. and Iraqi government troops.
Al-Sadr himself has threatened to return to "armed resistance" if U.S.
forces remain.
"After extensive discussions, the leaders of the
political blocs headed by Iraq's President Jalal Talabani have agreed to
let the Iraqi government start negotiations with the American side only
on the issues of training and under the Strategic Framework Agreement,"
Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Ruz Nouri Shawees told reporters at the
president's residence.
"The Iraqi political leaders will be
watching the talks to consider any final agreement with the U.S. side,"
he said. The leaders did not say how many U.S troops the government
would need to train Iraqi security forces after 2011.
The
Strategic Framework Agreement, signed by U.S. and Iraqi representatives
in 2008, notes that security and defense cooperation shall be undertaken
"on the withdrawal of United States forces from Iraq and the
organization of their activities during their temporary presence in
Iraq."
Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of
Staff, said Monday the decision about whether U.S. forces are to remain
after December 31 needed to be made without delay. "The point is we're
at a deadline, and we need an answer," he told reporters.
About
44,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq through the end of the year, down from
about 170,000 at the peak of the war that followed the U.S.-led
invasion of 2003.
The remaining American contingent is scheduled
to withdraw by the end of the year -- and attacks on that force have
gone up as Iraqi leaders have debated whether to postpone that deadline.
Stuart
Bowen, the U.S. official overseeing reconstruction efforts, reported
Sunday that the country remains "extraordinarily dangerous" and is less
safe than it was a year ago.
U.S. commanders, including Mullen,
have blamed Shiite Muslim militias backed by neighboring Iran for the
increased attacks on American troops, 21 of whom have been killed in the
past three months.
On Sunday, dozens of tribal leaders loyal to
al-Sadr set up tents in eastern Baghdad and vowed to battle the
"occupiers" if American troops are allowed to remain. Al-Sadr's
followers now hold 39 seats in Iraq's 325-seat parliament. His movement
emerged as one of the kingmakers in Iraqi politics during the long
deadlock that followed the 2010 elections and played a major role in
clinching a second term for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
In
addition, attacks across the country killed 259 people in July and left
453 others wounded, according to figures released Monday by Iraq's
Interior Ministry. The figures also showed 22 "terrorists" were killed
and 115 others were arrested.
Those figures are
the second-highest monthly toll in the country this year, slightly
behind June's 271 deaths. But they are well below the 535 deaths
recorded in July 2010 -- and far below the bloodshed seen at the worst
of Iraq's sectarian warfare in 2005 and 2007, when monthly body counts
routinely topped 2,000. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
