05 December 2008
United States Hails Iraqi Ratification of Security Pact
Full U.S. troop withdrawal by 2011 envisioned under new agreement
Washington — The Iraqi government has ratified a landmark U.S.-Iraqi security agreement calling for a full withdrawal of American forces from the country by the end of 2011, along with a companion agreement shaping the future of relations between Washington and Baghdad.
“The United States Embassy and the Multi-National Force–Iraq will begin immediately to implement these two agreements with our Iraqi partners,” said U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and coalition forces commander General Ray Odierno in a December 4 joint statement. “We look forward, under these agreements, to the continued reduction in U.S. forces and the normalization of bilateral relations as two sovereign and co-equal nations.”
The statement followed approval of the pact by Iraq's three-member presidency council — composed of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Vice Presidents Adil Abd Al-Mahdi and Tariq Al-Hashimi. The accord will go into force by January 1, 2009, following a formal exchange of diplomatic notes.
Since 2003, U.S.-led coalition forces have operated in Iraq under a U.N. Security Council resolution that expires at the end of 2008. U.S. and Iraqi officials seek to replace the U.N. mandate and continue security cooperation through a status of forces agreement (SOFA) — a pact authorizing the presence of U.S. troops and outlining their activities in Iraq. The United States has concluded similar agreements with 78 other countries worldwide, including Germany, Japan, South Korea and several of Iraq’s Gulf neighbors.
In addition to the SOFA, a complementary strategic framework agreement outlines the future of U.S.-Iraqi relations, envisioning a host of initiatives aimed at helping the countries strengthen ties through cooperation in economic development, energy, health, the environment, education, culture, law enforcement and other projects.
By June 2009, some 146,000 U.S.-led coalition forces stationed at more than 400 bases across Iraq will redeploy to bases outside populated areas and begin preparing for a pullout that President-elect Barack Obama has said he would like to complete within 16 months of taking office — or around April 2010.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates — who has agreed to continue at the Pentagon under the new administration — told reporters December 2 that commanders are “looking at what the implications of that are in terms of the potential for accelerating the drawdown and — and in terms of how we meet our obligations to the Iraqis.”
American and Iraqi diplomats began negotiations on the agreements in March, initially hoping to conclude talks by midsummer, but continued into the fall as negotiators on both sides redoubled efforts to craft a security arrangement that could be accepted by elected officials in Baghdad and Washington.
With 13 of the country’s 18 provinces returning to full Iraqi civilian control, security has dramatically improved in 2008, but recent days have seen a spate of bombings that underline what U.S. officials have called Iraq’s “fragile, but reversible” security gains and the continued need for security assistance as Iraq continues to build democratic governing institutions.
In late October, the Iraqi Cabinet authorized Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to reopen talks on the agreement, which has been under close scrutiny by Baghdad lawmakers, who sought more than 100 changes to the document. (See “Bush Expresses Confidence on U.S.-Iraq Troops Pact.”)
The pact was approved by 27 of 28 Cabinet ministers November 17. The Iraqi parliament then approved the accord on November 27, clearing the way for Presidential Council approval.
While the agreements will enter into force on January 1, the status of forces agreement will face a national referendum no later than July 30, 2009, under the terms negotiated by members of the Iraqi parliament.
“If there is a national referendum, Iraq is a sovereign country and they could decide to do lots of different things,” said White House press secretary Dana Perino, who said the agreements will “help solidify Iraq's democratic gains that they've made over the past few years, affirm Iraq's sovereignty and put its relations with the United States on a strong footing.”
The text of Crocker and Odierno’s joint statement and a fact sheet on the agreements are available on America.gov.
