Iraq withholds its support for security pact

Shi'ite alliance seeks changes in provisions

BAGHDAD - Hopes that a security agreement between Iraq and the United States could be concluded swiftly receded yesterday as several of the leading Iraqi political parties, including some that had negotiated the agreement, appeared to back away from quick approval.

In a statement posted on semiofficial government websites, the United Iraqi Alliance, which represents several powerful Shi'ite parties that back the government, said it could not endorse the pact as written and wanted amendments.

Alliance officials said they are seeking a firmer date for US troops to leave. The draft agreement sets the withdrawal for the end of 2011, based on the performance of the Iraqi security forces, and it sets several specific dates for troop withdrawals from Iraq's cities. But the draft also states that those dates could be changed by mutual agreement.

The draft would make private American security companies and other contractors subject to Iraqi justice in criminal cases, which was a major demand from Iraqi officials. But another demand, to make US military personnel subject to Iraqi law, is not included.

"The alliance asked the prime minister to reopen the negotiations with the Americans and try to modify the pact until it becomes acceptable to us," said Sami al-Askari, a leader in Prime Minister Nouri Kamal al-Maliki's Dawa Party, which is a member of the Shi'ite alliance.

Whether the agreement will be signed "will depend on the American side," he said. In Washington, a White House official declined to comment.

US officials had pushed to persuade the Iraqis to complete the pact by midsummer, worried that the Iraqi government would be reluctant to endorse it as the provincial elections, originally scheduled for Oct. 1, approached. But the Iraqis resisted, and now, despite US concessions, seem to be backing away.

Political analysts agree that the elections are making it difficult for Maliki to stand with the Americans, especially on an agreement that allows troops to stay. The vote is likely early next year, and Maliki is worried about maintaining power.

"I think the main thing is that Maliki is worried about the provincial elections, and he doesn't want to be seen as making concessions to the Americans," said Joost Hiltermann, a senior Iraq analyst at the International Crisis Group office in Istanbul, which oversees Iraq.

If the Iraqis decide that it is politically too risky to sign an agreement, another option would be to extend the existing UN Security Council resolution that allows US troops to operate in Iraq. But the Iraqis do not want to do that, and some countries on the Security Council, notably Russia, would be unlikely to support an extension.

Without a deal by Dec. 31, the expiration date for the UN resolution, the military would have to halt all operations; remain on its bases; stop flying air support; and prepare to leave, US officials said.

The largest Sunni bloc in Parliament, Tawafiq, also hesitated to endorse the agreement. The hesitation came as a surprise because until recently Sunnis had been supportive of the US presence since they viewed the troops as a bulwark against a repetition of the sectarian violence that forced many from their homes.