The AP is reporting that top officials in the Bush Administration are admitting that it is unlikely that a deal which would make permanent America's presence in Iraq will be forthcoming during Bush's final year as president.
A little background - Patrick Cockburn revealed this pending deal in the Independent last week. According to Cockburn, this deal would have allowed the us to "occupy permanent bases, conduct military operations, arrest Iraqis and enjoy immunity from Iraqi law." This will force the administration to go back to the UN and urge them to again extend UN resolution 1511 which legalized the American occupation of Iraq under international law. Resolution 1511 expires at the end of this year. Here is some of the article:
Faced with stiff Iraqi opposition, it is "very possible" the U.S. may have to extend an existing U.N. mandate, said a senior administration official close to the talks. That would mean major decisions about how U.S. forces operate in Iraq could be left to the next president, including how much authority the U.S. must give Iraqis over military operations and how quickly the handover takes place.
SNIP
The second — and decidedly more difficult pact — is the Status of Forces Agreement that would detail the legal basis for the ongoing presence of U.S. military forces operating in Iraq. The agreements would replace a United Nations mandate that has been in place since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, but expires at the end of this year.
The U.S. and Iraq may be able to map out the broader document describing the two countries' long-term relationship, but may have to extend the current U.N. mandate because many of the thornier military details will require more time, the U.S. official said.
On Monday, Sens. Carl Levin and John Warner sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urging the administration to "be more transparent, with greater consultation, about the progress of these deliberations."
"The situation in Iraq is extremely complex and Congress ... has legitimate concerns" about the agreements, wrote Levin, D-Mich., and Warner, R-Va. Levin is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee; Warner is a member.
Iraqi officials have raised a number of objections to the draft documents, both publicly and privately. And they are now suggesting that the latest proposal isn't even worth submitting to their parliament for approval.
Who woulda thunk; Iraqis don't want the country that destroyed its economy and infrastructure, killed up to 500,000 of its people, instigated a bloody civil war, and imprisoned and tortured tens of thousands of its citizens to stay forever. Tells you a lot when even the puppet government you put in place doesn't want you around.
UPDATE: Want to get some thoughts on this - Couldn't the UN vote to repeal Resolution 1511 thus criminalizing the occupation under international law? Even with an Obama as President it may take us years to get out of Iraq. This could be a faster way of ending the war. Just sayin'. Could also be an excellent way to start cranking on those war crime trials over at The Hague. I know I'm dreaming but hey, a man can dream can't he?