… It’s been translated from the Arabic and posted here on the AFSC website by their Iraqi consultant, the talented and hard-working Raed Jarrar.
I haven’t had time to read it closely yet. On AFSC’s website Raed says,
- This agreement could further entrench the U.S. military in Iraq… It cannot be negotiated behind closed doors. The public, Congress, and the Iraqi Parliament should be informed and weigh in before we set a direction for the future.
On his own blog, he comments:
- I think it’s really interesting that while the bush administration are putting the last touches on this long term agreement with their Iraqi allies, bush issued a new presidential signing statement last week specifically to allow the U.S. government to control Iraq’s oil resources! The statement was issued as a response to a congressional law that prohibits the U.S. government from taking control over Iraq’s oil and gas resources.
What a great message to be given at this time: not only we’re planning to occupy your country military, but we also have the intention of steeling your oil and gas.
for more details on the signing statement, check FCNL’s press-release here. Bush’s statement can be read here.
Also, check out the photos of tlast saturday’s anti-occupation rallies in Baghdad that Raed posted on the preceding post in his blog, here.
It seems clear, meanwhile, that this latest draft of the SOFA agreement is no more likely than previous drafts to prove acceptable to the Iraqi side (including crucially, the Iraqi parliament.)
Back in early June, I “called” the inability of the Bush administration to impose its will regarding a longterm security agreement on the Iraqi governing body that it itself created back in the post-invasion period!
No reason to amend that judgment yet.
Now if some accomplished writer would only put together a scorching article on this non-treaty treaty, for one thing asking why it’s being considered by the Iraqi parliament and not by the US Senate as the Constitution requires, and have it published in the CSM.
I guess there’s nobody. **sigh**
bush issued a new presidential signing statement last week specifically to allow the U.S. government to control Iraq’s oil resources!
The signing statement does not do this.
http://www.slate.com/id/2202771/
And if they don’t agree then all hell will break loose.
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The imperial president trashes the constitution, not obtaining Senate advice and consent on a treaty, and the Senate acquiesces. SecDef Gates at a news conference Oct 17:
——-
Gates: Finally, I would just say that the four leaders that I talked to from the Armed Services Committees, I think, were generally positive, but clearly are looking forward to seeing exact text.
Q: When would they get that?
Gates: The staffs of — representatives of each of them, as far as I know, were invited to the White House this morning and walked through the text.
——
The congressional representatives were invited to the White House and walked through the text! Why do we even have a Senate?
These two parts of the SOFA are interesting:
*Iraq has the primary legal jurisdiction over armed forces members and civilian members in cases of major and intentional crimes mentioned in paragraph 8 that takes place outside areas and installations agreed upon while troops are off duty.
*All members of U.S. armed forces or civilian members must be handed over to the U.S. as soon as they are arrested by the Iraqi authorities.
Can some one shut this ugly mouth.
What “pretty dramatic” consequences would follow” he mean more that the dist ruction done on country and millions of people?
What they have to lose more that your ugly faces jut GET OFF the Iraqi faces bas*.
Can we PLEASE not validate the propaganda language? Whatever else it is, it is NOT a SOFA.
النص العربي المعلن للاتفاقية الأمنية المثيرة للجدل والمزمع توقيعها بين واشنطن وبغداد ملاحظة: هذا النص المعلن لايعني بالضرورة هو النص الحقيقي المعتمد بين سلطات الاحتلال الامريكي والحكومة الحالية في العراق، وكذلك لايعني بالضرورة ان النسخة العربية من الاتفاقية المعلنة مطابقة للنص الانكليزي الأصلي من الاتفاقية.
Helena one question for you why you so moved and rushed to tell us about Arabic version of SOFA?
Is the Arabic version representing the original English version?
I have reached to conclusions you and others who claims they new Arabic and making it some credit for themselves to discussing Arab matter, you and other have very limited Arabic abilities using it to market views and believes not necessarily reflect the reality or serve the justices as for Iraqis.
Reading Arabic version make no doubt that this is agreement written and drafted in English first then translated to Arabic this very clear from the confusion in the details that clear enough for average Arabic speakers in addition to very shadowy meaning in many parts of closes of the agreement.
To those who rushed to discussed Arabic “Fake” version of SOFA, Read this discussion “Arabic Text” about Arabic draft “fake” version of SOFA by Iraqi lady called herself Iraqi Ishtar.
Note if Helena if you miss my comment here let remind you to Read it.
bush issued a new presidential signing statement last week specifically to allow the U.S. government to control Iraq’s oil resources!
So just go and dug in the Bush’s vineyards there are no secrets for the invasion of Iraq and its clear a hoax and a lot of lies that US citizenry still living in blind spot of their administrations.
One more example is by the big lair and ugly face Colin Powell endorsement of Barack Obama when most US MSM call him as a very respectable figure in US politics, he is no more an a lair served as slave for lairs in a very famous show in UN show.
Congratulations Helena your favor Mullah Hussein Nasrallah and his party “Party Of Allah” is a drug syndicate!!! This is the Mullah and Islam and the black turban over their terrorist heads
Even if an agreement is reached before 1/20/09, it wouldn’t bind the next president, would it?
If the next president is Obama, would he be likely to repudiate any of it, e.g. immunity for US personnel?
I just read Helena’s earlier post ‘US Iraq policy beyond November 4’. I gather that her answer to my second question is that Obama is unlikely to challenge the status quo in Iraq, although he’s probably more open to do so than McCain, but only if there is sufficient ” ‘nudging’ and persuasion to do so from all sectors of US society”.
The future of Iraq with this ruthless and war criminal invasion will be like Helena model S. Africa.
A former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town has described poverty in South Africa as being
Read this story those who believed that the done the best for those poor BALCK people on their own land and society.
Invaders never ever care about people on other land they are more greedy and criminals drive in naives goals and lies examples are a lot along the history if some Helena included telling there is good working with invaders promoting legality and painting poppet who put in control of people are in fact serving invaders gaols and themselves BUT not the native people.
A former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town has described poverty in South Africa as being
Helena, this evidence that I mentioned earlier in my post about the differences between original English drafted agreement and the translated copy that put through the media. Let not rush maturely to discuses “fake” confused translated copy. Here’s Ayad Allawi talking about it he is a man from inside looks he read the English draught copy and he accusing the translated Arabic version with some differences and meaning of some clauses and he asked cautions with Arabic version. He make comparisons with UN regulation 242 when Arab failed in the trap of translation in regards to Land not “All the Land” ( if I am right) with regards of the Israeli and US official argued Arabs about 242 UN regulation.
علاوي:الاتفاقية غامضة و هناك فرق كبير بين النسخة العربية والإنجليزية، لم تنتبه إليه الحكومة العراقية بسبب الأخطاء في الترجمة
http://www.baghdadtimes.net/Arabic/print.php?sid=35609