Iraq Press Roundup

The U.S.-Iraqi security agreement remained on the front page of Iraqi newspapers for the third straight day Wednesday.

The independent Azzaman newspaper said that while the Iraqi negotiators to the pact focused on the issue of sovereignty and the interests of the Iraqi people, the American side advocated their position by addressing the costs incurred during the so-called war on terror, a matter purely related to the financial crisis in the United States.

The agreement and possibilities of meeting the Iranian-American interests

Under the surface of the negotiations between Baghdad and Washington over the military arrangement rests a hidden agenda regarding the U.S. relationship with Iran as a focal point of security in the region.

Despite the various historical disputes between the governments of Tehran and Washington, recent events hint at a degree of loyalty between the two. Iran, the newspaper said, was the side that encouraged the Iraqis to collaborate with the United States in its effort to rebel against the regime of the former dictator Saddam Hussein.

During the U.S. presidential campaign, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said he would be open to negotiations with the Iranians. For its part, however, while Tehran has expressed repeated concerns over the security agreement, it has offered no viable alternative.

The Sunni al-Mashriq newspaper carried an article Wednesday focusing on the concept of dividing Iraq, saying disputes over a federal Iraq are centered on splitting the country into three, four or even nine distinct regions.

Through the time of federalism

While the northern Kurdish region of Iraq is considered a settled matter, other areas in the south are up for debate as the influential Shiite party Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council opposes a federal system due to its ongoing row with the Party of Islamic Virtue, or Fadhila Party, which controls most of the southern provinces.

SIIC is torn between backing a federal system for Iraq and preventing Fadhila from further controlling the south, which is one of the wealthiest parts of the country.

For his part, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has stated his opposition to a federal Iraq as he views it as a system that would tear the country apart, weaken the central government and stoke infighting over control of Iraq's natural resources.

The independent al-Mada newspaper Wednesday discussed the possibility of U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., serving as secretary of state under President-elect Barack Obama.

Will Clinton be the secretary of state?

Many observers see the possible Cabinet pick as a way to avoid potential conflict as Obama's choice of Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., for his vice president angered many Clinton supporters.

Obama, therefore, is likely to pick Clinton for secretary of state. Not doing so, the newspaper said, would give her the opportunity to find fault with the Obama administration to boost her chances for a presidential bid in 2012.

By including his former rival in his administration, any blame laid on the Obama White House would fall on her as well.

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(Edited by Daniel Graeber)