By IRNA,
London : A state of forces agreement with the US remains preferable to going back to the United Nations to cover the legal side for the presence of the coalition forces from next year, according to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
In an interview with the Times newspaper published Monday, Maliki was also critical of a secret deal made last year by Britain with the al-Mahdi Army that led to the premature withdrawal of UK troops from Basra.
“They stayed away from the confrontation, which gave the gangs and militias the chance to control the city,” he said, referring to a decision by British forces to leave a palace in Basra for their airport base.
“The situation deteriorated so badly that corrupted youths were carrying swords and cutting the throats of women and children. The citizens of Basra called out for our help,” the prime minister said, adding that he thought the British move was “very” premature.
He also said that he did “not know why” the UK government had not started to discuss a state of the forces of agreement, like the US, to replace the current UN mandate which expires at the end of December.
It was “definitely” no longer necessary for the UK to deploy its current 4,100 troops in Iraq, Maliki said. “There might be a need for their experience in training and some technological issues, but as a fighting force,” he said.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is already expected to cut troop numbers significantly next year as the UK mission evolves to a more diplomatic presence, but even the status of non-combat personnel is in doubt because negotiations have yet to begin.
In his interview, Maliki expressed hope that a pact with the US will be approved by the end of the year, but warned that failure to do so would force him to ask the UN to extend its mandate for all foreign troops to stay in Iraq.
“To avoid reaching the critical deadline, I wish for the negotiations between the two sides to start quickly to determine what elements of the force should remain and their specialities,” he said.
The main dispute remained the immunity of American forces from prosecution, but if the Americans do not respond to Iraqi demands, the prime minister said it may not get the needed approval of parliament.
“The sticking point is about if the American soldier was not on a mission and commits a crime that is accountable to the Iraqi judicial system, whether small or big. The Iraqi judicial system should have jurisdiction over the American soldier,” he said.
“Definitely if the parliament rejects it then we will have to go to the United Nations which is a not a great choice for us or the Americans,” Maliki told the paper.