Socialist group condemns U.S.-Iraqi pact

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S.-Iraqi security accord legitimizes the continued violation of Iraqi sovereignty and extends the U.S. occupation, an American socialist party said.

The U.S.-based Party for Socialism and Liberation suggested in an editorial published Tuesday that the framework for a troop withdrawal from Iraq passed by lawmakers in Baghdad Thursday is largely a farce.

"The pact merely gives the appearance of a withdrawal on the horizon, but in no way guarantees one," the group said.

The PSL also noted that Article 27, Section 3 of the agreement says Iraq may not be used as a staging ground for attacks on its neighbors. Section 1 of the article, however, gives the U.S. military authority to "take appropriate measures to deter any external or internal threat or aggression against Iraq."

The U.S.-Iraqi security agreement is evidence that world powers place economic interests over the interest of the public, the PSL commented.

"When the Pentagon talks of 'stability' and 'conditions on the ground,' they are not referring to what conditions are best for the Iraqi people, but what conditions are best for U.S. corporations to profit from Iraq's resources and for achieving U.S. imperialism's geopolitical aims," the piece concluded.