New security
agreement lets US strike
any country from inside Iraq
Agreement calls for permanent U.S.
bases in Iraq, and
also for U.S. supervision over
Iraq's Defense, Interior,
and National Security ministries, as well as armament
contracts, for ten years. Agreement effectively gives
the United States government control of Iraq's oil.
By Basil Adas, Gulf News Correspondent
June 03,
2008
Baghdad:
A proposed Iraqi-American security agreement will include permanent American
bases in the country, and the right for the
United States
to strike, from within Iraqi territory, any country it considers a threat to its
national security, Gulf News has learned.
Senior Iraqi military sources have told Gulf News that the long-term
controversial agreement is likely to include three major items.
Under the agreement, Iraqi security institutions such as Defense, Interior and
National Security ministries, as well as armament contracts, will be under
American supervision for ten years.
The agreement is also likely to give American forces permanent military bases in
the country, as well as the right to move against any country considered to be a
threat against world stability or acting against Iraqi or American interests.
The military source added, "According to this agreement, the American forces
will keep permanent military bases on Iraqi territory, and these will include Al
Asad Military base in the Baghdadi area close to the Syrian border, Balad
military base in northern Baghdad close to Iran, Habbaniyah base close to the
town of Fallujah and the Ali Bin Abi Talib military base in the southern
province of Nasiriyah close to the Iranian border."
The sources confirmed that the American army is in the process of completing the
building of the military facilities and runways for the permanent bases.
He added that the American air bases in Kirkuk and Mosul will be kept for no
longer than three years. However, he said there were efforts by the Americans to
include the
Kirkuk
base in the list of permanent bases.
The sources also said that a British brigade was expected to remain at the
international airport in
Basra
for ten years as long as the American troops stayed in the permanent bases in
Iraq.
Iraqi analysts said that the second item of the controversial agreement which
permits American forces on Iraqi territories to launch military attacks against
any country it considers a threat is addressed primarily to Iran and Syria.
Iran
has raised serious concerns in the past few days over the Iraqi-American
security agreement and followed it with issuing religious fatwas and called for
demonstrations, mainly by the powerful Shiite leader Moqtada Al Sadr movement,
who is close to Iran, against the agreement.