US-Iraq Withdrawal Plan Reached, Mirrors Obama's Plan

The Independent:

Iraq and the United States have finally agreed on a security pact which would mean that US forces would withdraw from Iraq by 2011, American and Iraqi officials said yesterday.

The accord became a major test of strength between the Iraqi government and Washington since negotiations began in March with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, pictured below, demanding US concessions on the date of the troop withdrawal and immunity for US troops. The pact replaces the UN Security Council resolution enacted after the American invasion of 2003.

The agreement still needs to be approved by the council of Iraqi leaders, the cabinet and the Iraqi parliament. Mr Maliki saw the highly influential Shia religious leader, the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, last week and was assured that he would not stand in the way of the pact if approved by parliament.

Read the whole story: The Independent

Comments

[USAisEVIL]

Negotiations began in March, but the only real sticking point for Iraq was the immunity for US soldiers and mercenaries. And that was the only real sticking point for America too, because you know that you need immunity for your killers. And in the final deal, the big bad empire got what it wanted. The Iraqi government caved in and created double speak that is designed to fool the Iraqi people into accepting the deal in which US killers can never be prosecuted for ravaging the people of Iraq. Judging by the way this deal is being reported by your propaganda ministries, you are being fooled too. Your government just forced Iraqis to sign on to years of abuse by armed American goons, and it pleases you.

[noneIn2008]

No excuses from Obama for not getting our troops out, day one of his presidency. Day 1.
No excuses, only results. Yet, we now hear Obama talk

[gabbinjane]

And if the Iraqis aren't sufficiently prepared, will HE take the responsibility for a likely civil war and the resultant bloodbath?? Will YOU???

[dhertzfe]

Is that the same bloodbath that was suppose to take place that the repugs saud was gonna happen if we pulled out of Vietnam?

[dhertzfe]

And if the Iraqis aren't sufficiently prepared, will HE take the responsibility for a likely civil war and the resultant bloodbath?? Will YOU???

[noneIn2008]

Excuses, not results.
It is a blood bath either way.
Do it or don't do it. But tell us straight and get results, not excuses.

[TheGuide]

You know, I haven't heard that we're getting oil or anything from Iraq, nothing. We've lost thousand of lives, and for what? This is more awful than anyone is admitting. We should've been gone.

[TheGuide]

From this point on Iraq need to be paying "us" to be there.

[lioness39]

Paying us to be there? We invade, bomb the bejesus out of them, ruin their lives for five years and they need to pay us? Jeez!

[lucite]

Oil contracts are now in negogiations. I guess mission accomplished we can now bring our troops home.

[skantea]

Now that they've begun splitting up the oil, why not bail?

Iraqi government fuels 'war for oil' theories by putting reserves up for biggest ever sale· BP, Shell and Exxon in meeting with minister
· Unprecedented 40bn barrels up for grabs

The Guardian, Monday October 13 2008

The biggest ever sale of oil assets will take place today, when the Iraqi government puts 40bn barrels of recoverable reserves up for offer in London.

BP, Shell and ExxonMobil are all expected to attend a meeting at the Park Lane Hotel in Mayfair with the Iraqi oil minister, Hussein al-Shahristani.

Access is being given to eight fields, representing about 40% of the Middle Eastern nation's reserves, at a time when the country remains under occupation by US and British forces.

Two smaller agreements have already been signed with Shell and the China National Petroleum Corporation, but today's sale will ignite arguments over whether the overthrow of Saddam Hussein was a "war for oil" that is now to be consummated by western multinationals seizing control of strategic Iraqi reserves.

Gregg Muttitt, from the UK-based social and ecological justice group Platform, says he is alarmed that the government is pushing ahead with its plans without the support of many in Iraq.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/oct/13/oil-iraq

[MissingAmerica]

Surely, with troops outside the cities and towns, the costs of being in Iraq will go down. What we need to do is get the contractors OUT! I just learned that contractors are importing sand into Iraq for the rebuilding at an enormous cost to this country! It shows that either this administration is taking kickbacks from the contractors or being hoodwinked by them. In either case, it's unacceptable. We need to lower the cost of being in Iraq, since they now have more money than we do!

We have a long road to recovery ahead of us but, clearly, electing Obama/Biden is a start.

[javagirl322]

This administration is not being hoodwinked­....this administration is EXTREMELY knowledgeable about the contracts and the money-flow. Once again, it is the American people who will pay while this administration and its cronies get richer. ... in that regard it's more like kickbacks.

[darthdarcy]

When in 2011..?

December 31st 2011..or January 1St 2011..?

Lets say it's December 31st 2011..

That would be 26 more months I think at $10 to $12 billion per month..at least...

So at $10 billion per month only another $260 billion spent on in and for Iraq..sure what the heck we got money to burn and of course Congress is going to have a say in this right..?

Will Congress be allowed to vote on this, up or down..?

Will Obama be bound by this agreement, made by G.W. Bush..?

[jayjaga]

No. O is not bound by this agreement. He will do what is in the best interest of Americans and get the troops home.

Sweet home at last for our trrops!