Nation & World

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Wednesday, October 29, 2008 Iraq seeks talks with U.S. on extending troop deal Associated Press and The Washington Post BAGHDAD -- Iraq's government decided Tuesday to formally ask the United States to reopen negotiations on a proposed deal to keep American troops here past the end of the year. The U.S. suggested it may not be ready to offer more concessions. That cast doubt on whether the agreement can win parliamentary approval by the end of 2008, when the U.N. mandate expires -- and with it the legal basis for the U.S. military to operate in Iraq. The U.S. has warned that without an agreement or an extension of the mandate, military operations would cease, including not only combat operations but also infrastructure projects and aid to Iraq's government. Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the decision to ask for more talks was taken after Cabinet members submitted amendments to the draft. For nearly two weeks, Iraqi politicians have been considering the draft agreement, which would keep U.S. troops in Iraq through 2011 unless both sides agree that they could stay. The draft would also give the Iraqis a greater role in supervising U.S. military operations and allow Iraqi courts to try U.S. soldiers and contractors accused of major crimes off duty and off base. But critics say the draft does not go far enough in protecting Iraqi sovereignty, and major Shiite politicians said last week that the agreement stands little chance of approval in its current form. One option being floated privately is to ask the U.N. Security Council to renew the mandate for six months or a year until a way out of the deadlock is found. Iraqi court convicts man for killing U.S. soldiers In the first case of its kind, an Iraqi judge on Tuesday convicted an Iraqi man of abducting, torturing and killing two American soldiers in the summer of 2006. Ibrahim Karim Muhammed Salih al-Qaraghuli was found guilty, and sentenced to death, after testimony that his fingerprints matched photos of bloody prints found on the front panel of the pickup truck used to drag the soldiers, Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas Tucker. Citing lack of evidence, Judge Munther Raouf Haadi acquitted Qaraghuli's two co-defendants. Insurgents abducted Menchaca and Tucker on June 16, 2006, while the two soldiers were manning a checkpoint in Yusufiya, a village south of Baghdad. Their bodies were tied to the back of a pickup truck and dragged through town. One of the soldiers was beheaded. Syria closes American school after U.S. attack The Syrian government ordered an American school and a U.S. cultural center in Damascus closed Tuesday in response to a deadly U.S. attack on a village near the Iraq border, the state-run news agency said. Syria said U.S. troops in four helicopters on Sunday attacked a building inside Syria, near the border with Iraq, and killed eight people. U.S. officials said the raid killed a top operative of al-Qaida in Iraq who intelligence suggested was about to conduct an attack in Iraq. Syria also on Tuesday demanded the U.N. Security Council to condemn the attack and take action against the U.S. Iraq has said it doesn't approve of the raid into Syria even if the U.S. claims such operations are legitimate. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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