Iraq Resists SOFA Agreement for Permanent U.S. Presence

A consensus, rare on any subject about Iraq, is growing around Iraqi lawmakers’ resistance to a permanent Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States. The al-Maliki government is under both domestic and Arab pressure to refuse any agreement which is open-ended with the Bush Administration and would provide for permanent bases in Iraq. The possibility is growing that the Iraqis will hold out for a deadline, possibly flexible, with a new Administration.

This means that the current internationally recognized basis for coalition forces in Iraq may expire in December without a new agreement in place. The effect this developing reality will exert on the U.S. election could be significant, since Barack Obama backs a U.S. withdrawal and John McCain supports an open-ended commitment to an Iraqi occupation. The acceptance of a deadline as a part of any agreement will tend to reinforce the Obama campaign's position that a long-term occupation can't work.