(Al-Hayat-Mideast Mirror, 23June2014) Salim Nassar, writing in the pan-Arab al-Hayat, recalled that at the time the U.S. was negotiating (unsuccessfully) the Status of Forces agreement with Iraq in 2011, American negotiators asked [Iraqi Prime Minister] Maliki's permission to leave a token force to protect the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, the largest American diplomatic mission in the world. Maliki refused, saying that he could not break Iran's order, which was that all American troops must leave Iraq. Asked by the American negotiators about his personal opinion on the matter, Maliki said, "I am indebted to Iran, which hosted our Da'wa Party for many years. For this reason, among others, I simply have to carry out Iran's policies."
2014-06-26 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive