Proposed US-Iraq deal slammed as humiliating

This is from the Gulf News.
These revelations are surely not surprising. However, from what I have heard there is no evidence that a deal is likely to be reached any time soon because of disagreements between the parties. Violation of the UN charter and international law characterised the original invasion. But the US didn't worry since the UN also legitimised the occupation of Iraq as well as Afghanistan in the end. The UN will not say boo no matter what is in the agreement between the US and Iraq. As long as Iraq were to agree the UN will not become involved at all. The situation may be different if no agreement is reached.


Proposed US-Iraq deal slammed as humiliating
by Anwar Elshamy A TOP Iraqi analyst has slammed the proposed US-Iraq security deal as “humiliating to Iraq”, saying that it would only turn the current US presence in his country into a “contractual and long-term occupation.” Speaking at a seminar organised by the Doha-based Arab Democracy Foundation (ADF), Dr Hussein Shaaban, who was until recently a director general of the Al Baghdadia Iraqi satellite TV channel, said it was the US that insisted on establishing such a long-term relationship with Iraq as it was looking for an international mandate to “justify its occupation”. “I know the Iraqi side is reluctant to enter into such a pact which will shackle Iraq for long years to come. It would be a very dangerous matter if the Iraqi government signed the deal because it would only give a new shape to the US occupation of Iraq and it would be very difficult for Iraq to get rid of it later,” Shaaban warned.“The problem is that the two parties to the deal are not equal. It is between a strong party who is the occupier and the other whose land is occupied,” he said. The deal constituted a glaring violation of the UN charter as well as international law, he added. Shaaban, who is the secretary general of the International Organisation for Justice, blamed the rise of sectarianism in Iraq on the US occupation, saying US policies following the invasion had just “perpetuated the sectarianism”.“It is Paul Bremer who created the sectarian division of jobs. This formula has continued with all the governments that came to power after the invasion. I think that if this sectarian-based formula continues further, it will only lead to the fragmentation of Iraq from within even if it remains a unified country from outside,” he explained.“Iraq will never rise again without a real application of the principles of citizenship including the freedom of conscience and speech and respect for the different sub-cultures. But the problem is that the national identity has been weakened mainly by the US occupation and identities based on sectarian and ethnic considerations have gained ground. Maybe the new constitution has endorsed excellent principles, but these principles were not put into effect,” he said.He said there would be no genuine state in Iraq as long as “tribes, sects and militias prevail over the state.”“While all of these divisions should be subject to the logic of the state, the state should be subject to the rule of law, equality and pluralism,” he added. Yassin al-Nuseir, an Iraqi writer and critic, also raised doubts about the future of democratisation in Iraq. “The current formula will only lead to a disaster as everything in the country has been divided on a sectarian basis. Even each city has demarcations separating sects,” he said.In an apparent reference to the growing influence of clerics and religious thinking on all aspects of life in Iraq after the US invasion, al-Nuseir said the country was being ruled by the “culture of the dead.” All the laws took this culture into consideration rather than the development plans or future goals of the country, he said.The ADF’s secretary general, Mohsin Marzouq, who was the moderator, said his foundation was setting up a club for members of the media in Qatar.“All those working in the media are invited to register with our new club which would be mainly concerned with issues of democracy and citizenship in the Arab world,” he said.