The new face of the Iraqi resistance
From the Washington Post yesterday:
President Bush said Wednesday he is confident the United States will reach an agreement on the role of U.S. forces in Iraq, calling opposition to a U.S. proposal part of the “noise” of a freer Iraqi society.
Appearing at a news conference here with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Bush said that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki “appreciates our presence there” and suggested that much of the Iraqi opposition to a status-of-forces agreement is based on inaccurate media reports and misunderstandings. “There’s all kinds of noise in their system and our system,” Bush said. “. . . I think we’ll get the agreement done.”
Uhh, don’t look now, Shrubster, but even Maliki is starting to make “noise,” as the Associated Press reports this morning:
Iraq’s prime minister said Friday that talks with the U.S. on proposals for a long-term security pact have reached an impasse over objections that Iraq’s sovereignty is at stake, but held out hope that negotiators could still reach a compromise plan.
In his strongest comments yet on the debate, Nouri al-Maliki echoed concern by Iraqi lawmakers that the U.S. proposals would give Washington too much political and military leverage on Iraqi affairs.
“The first drafts presented left us at a dead end and deadlock,” he told reporters in Amman, Jordan. “So, we left these first drafts and the negotiations will continue with new ideas until the sides reach a formula that preserves Iraq’s sovereignty.”
. . . “Any agreement that infringes on Iraq’s sovereignty and its components will be dismissed and will not be acceptable,” he added, promising any deal would be presented to Iraq’s parliament for final approval.
. . . An aide to Iraq’s pre-eminent Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged negotiators to protect the national interest during a Friday sermon in the holy city of Karbala.
“Iraq’s sovereignty and economy must be protected,” Ahmed al-Safi told worshippers. “The Iraqi negotiators must be up to the responsibility and should have a unified point of view.”
As I was saying on Wednesday, I don’t think Maliki and his allies are bluffing. They know what the Bushites are trying to shove down their throats, and with only seven months until a hoped-for Obama administration takes over, they’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel — and a chance to stand up to the Americans who have browbeaten them for so long.
Then again, Dubya and Dick Cheney aren’t exactly guys who enjoy losing, nor are they shy about using every underhanded trick they can think of to get their way. So we’ll have to see what hardball tactics they have left in their repertoire before this is settled.
Stumble it!
June 19th, 2008 at 9:54 am
[...] may especially be the case when one considers the resistance by the Maliki government to approving a long-term security agreement that would prolong the occupation. Given the hints of [...]