Middle East News
Shiite clergy want referendum over US troop presence
Jul 4, 2008, 12:34 GMT
Baghdad - Iraq's Shiite leadership indicated Friday that it will press the Baghdad government to hold a national referendum on the issue of a further stationing of US forces in the country.
Imam Sadreddin al Kabandji said at the Friday prayers in the Shiite holy city of Najaf: 'The Iraqi nation regards with concern the Iraqi-American treaty whose contents are not exactly known.'
The imam, an aide to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the supreme religious leader of Iraq's Shiites, said that the draft of the long- term military and cooperation agreement which Baghdad is currently negotiating with Washington must finally be made public.
'The treaty must be presented to the people and the clergy,' he demanded. It was unacceptable that the government was negotiating 'behind closed doors' with the Americans, al-Kbandji added.
His comments came as an original deadline for the treaty to be ready for signing by the end of July was approaching. The treaty is to govern the conditions applying to those US forces remaining in Iraq after the current UN mandate expires at the end of the year.
But several issues remain unresolved, including the number of US army bases to remain in Iraq, immunity of American soldiers from prosecution, the operations of foreign security firms, and when US forces must request permission from the Baghdad government for a military operation.
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Older Talkback
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with sadam gone.....leave the Iraqis to their own. Freedom to fight amongst themselves as opposed to freedom to elect a goverment of constitution. I have no problem with US up and leaving, they cant patrol and police forever, so let the Sunnis and shias beat themselves up....they seem to like the leaders that lead them into violence and destruction.
What's up with this letting the people have a say crap.... I mean that would be democratic... BuShit couldn't accept that.
You gave foot hold to enemey in your land, to take advantage of your oil resources, so that they can continue build their economy and military power. You have to face the consequences.
The allies who want to help local people are getting shot at and blown up for their pains, though not in the numbers that locals are killing locals. Our servicemen and women should get out and leave them to it.
Of course it is the only real democratic decision to make, because it is the foreign occupation which effects the future of the country and every Iraqi citizen. However I am afraid that the present American installed puppet 'Government' clique can never survive without the protection of massive US military power. If the will of the Iraqi people and its clergy is going to be ignored and this puppet regime goes ahead with its secret sell-out of Iraqi independence and sovereignty then I forsea more resistance and increased violence in the years to come. But don't get me wrong, when Iraq is left to its own devices that does not mean that very thing will be pie in the sky. Far from it. It will probably take a long time, may be years before the internal power struggle that will no doubt ensue (and will prompt the McCains and Bushes to exclaim: 'I told you so') , will finally subside and bring some kind of stabilization to the country. But at least - and that is the point - Iraqis will detitmine their own destiny.h
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lanceJul 4th, 2008 - 13:01:14
Perhaps one of these days they will have their own fourth of July!
In the mean time, the U.S. will celebrate this day without knowing why ... liberation from occupying forces, not overt patriotism. The occupied have become the occupiers.
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