Security Talks Hit 'Dead End,' Iraqi PM Says

Maliki: US long-term proposals step on nation's sovereignty

By the Associated Press

Posted Jun 13, 2008 9:14 AM CDT

(AP) – Talks with the US on a longterm security deal have hit an impasse over fears the US will infringe on Iraqi sovereignty, the nation's prime minister said. "The first drafts presented left us at a dead end," said Nouri al-Maliki. "So, we left these first drafts, and the negotiations will continue with new ideas until the sides reach a formula that preserves Iraq's sovereignty."

The security agreement would provide a legal basis for the presence of US forces in Iraq after the UN mandate expires at the end of this year. US negotiators offered new proposals this week after Iraqi lawmakers expressed outrage over the direction of the negotiations, claiming that accepting the US position would cement American domination of the country. "Any agreement that infringes on Iraq's sovereignty will be dismissed," Maliki added.

Iraq's prime minister Nouri al-Maliki walks after he met with the country's most influential Shiite spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on Thursday, May 22, 2008. (AP Photo)

Iraq's prime minister Nouri al-Maliki speaks to the media after he met with the country's most influential Shiite spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on Thursday, May 22, 2008. (AP Photo)

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki arrives for a meeting with Jordans King Abdullah II (not seen), at the Beit al-Baraka Royal Palace in Amman, Thursday, June 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Awad Awad, Pool)

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Security Talks Hit 'Dead End,' Iraqi PM Says

Maliki: US long-term proposals step on nation's sovereignty

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US Will Be Out of Iraq by 2011, PM Says

Maliki firm on 'fixed date,' though US says deal isn't finalized

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Foreign minister Rubaie won't accept a US security deal without one

Timetable Needed to End 'Foreign Presence' in Iraq: PM

'Specific time' for withdrawal must be part of new security deal, Maliki says

US Suspects al-Qaeda Behind Syria Bombings

Group may be looking to exploit the chaos

With US Gone, Iraq Explodes

Violence rampant thanks to political crisis

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