Iraq council studies plan for US troop withdrawal

A DRAFT text of a US-Iraq status of forces agreement, based on an end of 2011 withdrawal from Iraq, was discussed yesterday by Iraq's political council for national security, seven months after negotiations began.

If approved, the document will be submitted to parliament where it is expected to spark heated debate among competing factions determined to secure partisan advantage ahead of next year's provincial and legislative elections. Lawmakers are under strong popular pressure to secure an early deadline for the withdrawal of US forces, as well as to ensure the restoration of Iraq's sovereignty.

The draft, finalised by the Bush administration and Iraqi government, was presented to a dozen senior US congressmen on Wednesday by defence secretary Robert Gates and secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.

The text calls for US troops to leave Iraqi cities by June and pull out of the country by the end of 2011, unless asked to provide training and support. A joint committee would co-ordinate US military operations and Iraq would authorise searches of homes and detention of suspects except during combat.

Detainees would have to be transferred to the Iraqis within 24 hours and all prisoners held by the US would be freed or placed under Iraqi control. Iraq would take over Baghdad's fortified Green Zone containing government offices and embassies.

US troops not on mission and off base could face trial in Iraqi courts for major crimes if the US command agrees. US soldiers do not, however, normally leave bases except on operations and this provision would be rarely applied. US lawmakers have expressed opposition to granting Iraqi courts jurisdiction over the 147,000 US troops and the 160,000-odd Pentagon contractors in Iraq.

Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki is seeking approval of the text by two-thirds of the 275-member assembly, but can count only on the support of his own Dawa party, with 27 seats, and the Kurdish bloc with 58.

Followers of dissident Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, with 32 seats, oppose a deal, while Mr al-Maliki's Shia coalition partner, the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC), with 30 seats, is not ready to approve. SIIC legislator Jalal Eddin al-Saghir, said the "council did not want to be associated with any agreement".

The SIIC, Dawa's chief rival for power in the south, is closely tied to Tehran, which is vehemently against a pact. The position of the Sunni Arab alliance, with 44 seats, is unclear.

If a US-Iraq agreement is not in place by the year's end, the UN will have to extend the US mandate for a short period.