Traffic police tow away the wreckage of a vehicle that was part of a convoy of Iraq's minister of labour after a suicide bomb attack in Baghdad October 23, 2008. A suicide car bomber struck the convoy on Thursday, killing nine people and wounding 20, police said. REUTERS/Saad Shalash (IRAQ)From American Friends Service Committee:
WASHINGTON, DC (October 21, 2008) – The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), an international peace and social justice organization, has posted the first public English translation of the latest status of forces agreement between the U.S and Iraqi administrations on its web site, www.afsc.org.
If ratified in Iraq, the agreement would permit U.S. troops to remain the country once the United Nations mandate ends this year and may begin the process of establishing permanent U.S. military bases there.
The Arabic-language version of this document appeared in a major daily newspaper, Al-Sabah Al-Jadeed, today.
"This agreement could further entrench the U.S. military in Iraq," says Raed Jarrar, the AFSC Iraq consultant who translated the agreement based on a leaked Arabic version. "It cannot be negotiated behind closed doors. The public, Congress, and the Iraqi Parliament should be informed and weigh in before we set a direction for the future."
The AFSC has sponsored visits to the U.S. Capitol by Iraqi Parliamentarians so the two legislative bodies could exchange views about the future of their countries. Many Parliamentarians and members of Congress have stated their opposition to an agreement that keeps U.S. forces in Iraq.
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The Translated Document is HERE.
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