11/11/11 ?

[Stillw8n]

Thursday, October 06, 2011
11/11/11 ?

Four important developments from Iraq:


This week, in a surprising development, Iraqi political leaders declined the US request to grant full immunity to US military trainers left after the end of 2011. This might be a deal-breaker for the US. Iraqi political leaders want 300-400 US trainers with no immunity, while Jeffrey Buchanan and Panetta refuse to keep any troops or trainers without immunity. No official US response has been given yet.

Today, the Iraqi Parliament's "Security and Defense Committee" submitted an official request to the government suggesting that all US troops leave Iraq by 11/11/11 (more than 6 weeks before the original deadline). I talked to an MP on that committee and he told me they are expecting the US to leave by that time (seems more like they've agreed on that and now the parliament is "suggesting it").


In addition, the Iraqi Parliament conducted the first reading of the "Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Iraq and NATO regarding the training of Iraqi Security Forces" today. This is the same agreement that was signed in 2009, and now the government is sending it for Parliament ratification. The NATO mission ends 2013 according to this training agreement. This might to be an attempt to pass some immunity through the parliament then get US trainers to stay in Iraq under the current NATO mission. While the agreement puts NATO trainers under Iraqi jurisdiction in case they committed crimes outside military installations, it still establishes a joint committee to decide where to persecute trainers in case they broke the law.
Lastly, the Parliament conducted the first reading of a second law that would end the immunity of all foreign private contractors and subcontractors, including the NATO and MNF contractors, and put them under Iraqi court's jurisdictions.