SOFA needs scrutiny, analysis says

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- The American people should be privy to the provisions and implications of the Status of Forces Agreement with Iraq, an analysis said Wednesday.

The liberal Center for American Progress said in a study released Wednesday that the long-term implications of the SOFA on U.S. foreign policy should not be left to the administration of U.S. President Bush, a lame-duck president with only 90 days left in office.

The agreement set to replace the expiring U.N. mandate for Iraq faces difficulties in moving through an Iraqi presidential council, the Cabinet and finally Parliament. Several key Iraqi lawmakers have expressed reservations about proceeding with the agreement as drafted. Meanwhile, the Bush administration claims executive authority with the agreement, meaning it requires no congressional consent.

The CAP calls for further transparency in the financial and military aspects of the deal. While Iraqi lawmakers have offered information on certain provisions of the deal, American officials have remained tight-lipped on its details.

The matter of the judicial authority over U.S. troops is a major sticking point, and the CAP says the American public needs more information if military forces are to stay in Iraq for several years.

Finally, the SOFA, as drafted, handicaps Iraqi political development as a bilateral U.S. agreement may discourage Baghdad from dealing with other countries diplomatically.

"The stakes are too high," the report says "to let this 11th-hour proposed agreement move forward without more scrutiny."