U.S. security pact talks 'deadlocked'

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By Robert H. Reid ASSOCIATED PRESS

BAGHDAD | Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declared Friday that talks with the U.S. on a new security agreement were deadlocked, as Sunni and Shi'ite preachers spoke out against the deal that would enable American troops to remain in the country after year's end.

Mr. al-Maliki said negotiations will continue, but his tough talk reflects Iraqi determination to win greater control of U.S. military operations after the U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year.

His comments, made during a visit to Amman, Jordan, echo those of other leading Iraqi politicians, who have complained that U.S. proposals would give the Americans too much power over political, economic and military affairs and infringe on Iraqi sovereignty.

"The first drafts presented left us at a dead end and deadlock," Mr. al-Maliki said. "So, we abandoned these first drafts. The negotiations will continue with new ideas until the sides reach a formula that preserves Iraq's sovereignty."

The agreement would establish a long-term security relationship between the United States and Iraq and provide a legal basis for the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq after the U.N. mandate expires.

Failure to strike a deal would be a major setback for President Bush ahead of the November presidential election and at a time when Democrats are calling for an end to the unpopular war.

U.S. negotiators offered new proposals this week in hopes of assuaging Iraqi anger and finalizing the deal by the July target date.

But some Iraqi lawmakers familiar with the negotiations say the American proposals still fall short of Iraqi demands. Mr. al-Maliki promised that the agreement would be submitted to Iraq's parliament for final approval.

"Any agreement that infringes on Iraq's sovereignty and its components will be dismissed and will not be acceptable," he said. "Iraqi politicians are aware of the importance of sovereignty."

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States did not consider the talks at an impasse and that "the negotiations will continue."

But the two sides appear far apart on several key issues, including immunity for American soldiers, freedom for U.S. forces to carry out military operations, control of Iraqi airspace and authority to detain suspects.

In Friday sermons, Shi'ite and Sunni imams warned against any deal that limits Iraq's independence, in some cases misrepresenting both American and Iraqi positions in the talks.

Ahmed al-Safi, an aide to the country's main Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, warned that "Iraq's sovereignty and economy must be protected" despite U.S. insistence that it respects those principles.