Iraq Press Roundup

The Status of Forces Agreement between Washington and Baghdad is met with a variety of opinions. Some oppose the measure, some back it and still others are waiting to see what the future holds for the measure.

Al-Sabaah al-Jadeed newspaper said in its Friday edition the Kurds have allowed U.S. forces to have complete authority over their region and its wealth as part of the security arrangement.

The Kurds and the status of forces agreement

The Kurds take the position that the SOFA will serve the interests of the Iraqi people, claiming the country needs such a protective arrangement with Washington. Kurdish officials said they are backing the final version of the SOFA as presented by U.S. officials, saying it serves the interest of an independent and sovereign Iraq.

The Kurdish people in northern Iraq say the SOFA is a necessary provision for Kurdistan and greater Iraq despite little mention in the measure of either the federal or the regional governments.

Articles in the provision refer to Washington's support for a democratic government according to the Iraqi Constitution and this should be clear to the people of Iraq, the newspaper said.

Kurdish officials say the United States would act in a supporting role to develop Iraq and protect its institutions from internal and external dangers as part of the security measure.

The Kurds, the newspaper said, are ambitious to see their rights maintained through the constitutional articles supported by the United States.

Occupation forces are putting pressure on the Iraqi government to sign the Status of Forces agreement, claiming that the withdrawal of U.S. forces would put the security of Iraq in jeopardy, the Shabab al-Iraq news service said Friday.

The United Iraqi Alliance and the SOFA

Washington is still forcing its agenda on the government in Baghdad despite the collapse of the Sunni-led government and the emergence of Shiite dominance.

U.S. negotiators to the measure, set to replace the expiring U.N. mandate for Iraq, have presented articles that give Washington complete control over timetables for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Washington may decide not to pull out of Iraq, leaving a "sovereign" country a lost concept.

Meanwhile, other parties are looking for a continued U.S. presence in Iraq so they have an opportunity to attack American troops and turn Iraq into a battlefield.

The ruling Shiite United Iraqi Alliance offers hope to the Iraqi people regarding the impact the SOFA will have on the country. UIA needs to confront the occupation forces logically and peacefully in order to move forward. UIA needs to push amendments in the draft that will suit the principles of the new Iraq, not those of Washington.

All of the political parties, the newspaper said, need to stand in solidarity on the agreement to ensure Iraq does not fall victim to the new agenda mandated in the security arrangement.

Al-Ittijah al-Akhar newspaper noted Washington has not let up on its insistence that the government in Baghdad pass the unjust articles presented in the Status of Forces Agreement.

Shedding light on the U.S. slavery agreement

The Iraqis are the only part privy to the articles of the SOFA as Washington, fearing a revolution, has not revealed the draft of the measure. Baghdad, meanwhile, has ignored public opposition to the provision, preferring to keep them sidelined.

Iraqi lawmakers, for their part -- including several who have come out against the security arrangement -- are not acquainted themselves with several articles of the SOFA.

The newspaper suggests one of the major sticking points of the agreement is jurisdiction over U.S. forces and private contractors, but Iraqis know little else about the pact.

Through the occupier's agreement, or "political investment," Washington is trying to create more sectarian and ethnic divisions as opposition to the SOFA mounts, as the recent spate of violent attacks suggests.