Iraqis frustrated with force status talks

BAGHDAD, June 11 (UPI) -- Iraqi officials say they are becoming increasingly frustrated regarding negotiations with the United States on a "status of forces" agreement.

The talks are aimed at creating a legal framework that would legitimize the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq after a U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year. But with talks showing few signs of progress, some Iraqi government leaders and parliamentarians are calling for U.S. forces to leave, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

Some of them said they object to U.S. negotiators' demands to maintain nearly 60 military bases in the country, when what most Iraqis want is to shrink the U.S. presence, the Post said.

"The Americans are making demands that would lead to the colonization of Iraq," Sami al-Askari, a senior Shiite politician and close associate of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, told the newspaper. "If we can't reach a fair agreement, many people think we should say, 'Goodbye, U.S. troops. We don't need you here anymore.'"

Meanwhile, congressional leaders of both parties are showing signs of impatience and skepticism over the status of forces negotiations, demanding more information from the Bush administration, the Post reported.