Deal near on troop pullout, Iraqis say

BAGHDAD – Iraq and the U.S. are near an agreement on all American combat troops leaving Iraq by October 2010, with the last soldiers out three years after that, two Iraqi officials said Thursday. U.S. officials, however, insisted no dates had been agreed upon.

The proposed agreement calls for Americans to hand over parts of Baghdad’s Green Zone, where the U.S. Embassy is located, to the Iraqis by the end of 2008. It would also remove U.S. forces from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, according to the two senior officials, both close to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and familiar with the negotiations.

The officials, who spoke separately on condition of anonymity because the talks are ongoing, said all U.S. combat troops would leave Iraq by October 2010, with the remaining support personnel gone “around 2013.” The schedule could be amended if both sides agree – an escape clause that would extend the presence of U.S. forces if security conditions warrant it.

U.S. acceptance – even tentative – of a specific timeline would represent a dramatic change in American policy since the war began in March 2003.

Both Iraqi and American officials said that the deal is not final and that a major unresolved issue is the U.S. demand for immunity for U.S. soldiers from prosecution under Iraqi law.

Throughout the conflict, President Bush refused to accept any timetable for bringing U.S. troops home. Last month, however, Bush and al-Maliki agreed to set a “general time horizon” for ending the U.S. mission.

Bush’s shift was seen as a move to speed up agreement on a security pact governing the U.S. military presence in Iraq after the U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year.

Iraq’s Shiite-led government has been holding firm for a withdrawal schedule – a move the Iraqis said was essential to win parliamentary approval.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad declined to comment on details of the talks. Embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo said the negotiations were taking place “in a constructive spirit” based on respect for Iraqi sovereignty.

In Washington, U.S. officials acknowledged that progress has been made on the timelines for troop withdrawals but that the immunity issue remained a huge problem. One senior U.S. official close to the discussion said no dates have been agreed upon. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations are ongoing.

But the Iraqis insisted the dates had been settled preliminarily, although they acknowledged that nothing is final until the negotiations are completed.

One Iraqi official said that persuading the Americans to accept a timetable was a “key achievement” of the talks and that the government would seek parliamentary ratification as soon as the deal is signed.

But differences over immunity could scuttle the whole deal, the Iraqis said. One of the officials described immunity as a “minefield” and said each side was sticking by its position.

One Iraqi official said U.S. negotiator David Satterfield told him immunity for soldiers was a “red line” for the United States. The official said he replied that issue was “a red line for us too.” The official said the Iraqis were willing to grant immunity for actions committed on American bases and during combat operations – but not a blanket exemption from Iraqi law.

The Iraqis also want American forces to hand over any Iraqi they detain. The U.S. insists detainees must be “ready” for handover, which the Iraqi officials assume means the Americans want to interrogate them first.

As the talks continue, American officials said the Bush administration is losing patience with the Iraqis over the negotiations, which both sides had hoped to wrap up by the end of July.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and al-Maliki had a long and “very difficult” phone conversation about the situation Wednesday during which she pressed the Iraqi leader for more flexibility, particularly on immunity, one U.S. senior official said.

“The sovereignty issue is very big for the Iraqis and we understand that. But we are losing patience,” the official said. “The process needs to get moving and get moving quickly.”

In London, Britain’s defense ministry said it is also in talks with Iraq’s government over the role of British troops after the U.N. mandate runs out. Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently said that early next year, Britain will reduce its troops in Iraq, who number around 4,100, and that Britain’s role in the country will fundamentally change.

Iraq’s position in the U.S. talks hardened after a series of Iraqi military successes against Shiite and Sunni extremists in Basra, Baghdad, Mosul and other major cities and after the rise in world oil prices flooded the country with petrodollars.

As the government’s confidence rose, Iraqi officials believed they were in a strong negotiating position – especially with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, pledging to remove all combat forces within his first 16 months in office if security conditions allow.

Standing firm against the Americans also enhances al-Maliki’s nationalist credentials, enabling him to appeal for support from Iraqis long opposed to the U.S. presence.