صراط عشق صراط عشق
BAGHDAD (Dispatches) – The first session of the strategic negotiations between Washington and Baghdad showed that the Americans are after buying time, a senior Iraqi official says.
“The first session revealed that the Americans are after buying time in Iraq rather than urgent materialization of goals,” the official told the Arabic-language al-Arabi al-Jadid news website on Saturday on condition of anonymity.
The official said that the two sides agreed that there should arise no political crisis and confrontation between Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and the political stream which opposes the U.S. presence in Iraq.
He added that the final statement of the meeting might somehow satisfy the political groups which do not favor the U.S. deployment in the country.
U.S. and Iraqi officials agreed to reduce the number of American troops in the Middle Eastern country in the coming months but, following resumption of dialogue, fell short of providing a timeframe.
The decision was announced on Thursday following the long-anticipated talks, the first strategic dialogue between the two countries in a decade.
A joint statement was released at the end of the strategic dialogue held between the two countries via video conferencing.
“The U.S. will also continue to hold dialogue with the Baghdad government on the status of the remaining forces,” the statement said.
According to the statement, the U.S. asserted that it does not seek or demand permanent bases or a permanent military presence in Iraq, as was agreed in the 2008 Strategic Framework Agreement between the two countries.
In late 2011, U.S. troops left Iraq completely, after eight years of occupation following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003.
U.S. forces returned to Iraq in 2014 and as many as 5,000 American soldiers were deployed in military bases across Iraq. There are no recent statistics about the forces currently present in Iraq.
Hassan al-Fadam, a lawmaker from the National Wisdom Movement political coalition, said the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq has become a source of concern for many regional countries. He said the parliament is closely monitoring the course of dialogue between Washington and Baghdad.
“The Council of Representatives supports the dialogue between the United States and Iraq, and is keeping an eye on the outcomes of the talks. It is necessary to review the strategic agreement with the U.S. and expedite the departure of the (American) forces, which has become a source of concern and annoyance for many countries in the region,” Fadam told al-Maalomah news agency.
“The first session revealed that the Americans are after buying time in Iraq rather than urgent materialization of goals,” the official told the Arabic-language al-Arabi al-Jadid news website on Saturday on condition of anonymity.
The official said that the two sides agreed that there should arise no political crisis and confrontation between Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and the political stream which opposes the U.S. presence in Iraq.
He added that the final statement of the meeting might somehow satisfy the political groups which do not favor the U.S. deployment in the country.
U.S. and Iraqi officials agreed to reduce the number of American troops in the Middle Eastern country in the coming months but, following resumption of dialogue, fell short of providing a timeframe.
The decision was announced on Thursday following the long-anticipated talks, the first strategic dialogue between the two countries in a decade.
A joint statement was released at the end of the strategic dialogue held between the two countries via video conferencing.
“The U.S. will also continue to hold dialogue with the Baghdad government on the status of the remaining forces,” the statement said.
According to the statement, the U.S. asserted that it does not seek or demand permanent bases or a permanent military presence in Iraq, as was agreed in the 2008 Strategic Framework Agreement between the two countries.
In late 2011, U.S. troops left Iraq completely, after eight years of occupation following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003.
U.S. forces returned to Iraq in 2014 and as many as 5,000 American soldiers were deployed in military bases across Iraq. There are no recent statistics about the forces currently present in Iraq.
Hassan al-Fadam, a lawmaker from the National Wisdom Movement political coalition, said the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq has become a source of concern for many regional countries. He said the parliament is closely monitoring the course of dialogue between Washington and Baghdad.
“The Council of Representatives supports the dialogue between the United States and Iraq, and is keeping an eye on the outcomes of the talks. It is necessary to review the strategic agreement with the U.S. and expedite the departure of the (American) forces, which has become a source of concern and annoyance for many countries in the region,” Fadam told al-Maalomah news agency.
