Iraq: US troops will not have "freedom of movement"

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Source: CCTV.com | 06-07-2008 10:03

Iraq says it will not grant U.S. troops freedom of movement for military operations in a new security agreement. Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih made this clear as tens of thousands of Iraqis in Baghdad's Sadr City protested the negotiations for such an agreement.

U.S. soldiers walk out of an airplane during a stop of  their military flight at an airfield in Mosul June 6, 2008. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

The agreement would provide a legal basis to keep US troops in the country after the UN mandate expires at the end of the year. Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih says the US wants its forces to operate without any restrictions. But he says this is not acceptable to Iraq.

Critics in Iraq worry the deal will lock in American military, economic and political domination. The US and Iraq hope to reach such a deal by mid-summer.

Editor:Du Xiaodan