Discontent With Maliki Shakes US-Iraqi Security Pact
Jane Arraf, The Christian Science Monitor | November 26, 2008
Iraqi PM Maliki Iraq faces tough opposition today as his cabinet scrambles to find support for a US withdrawal bill. ++ "The opposition is about Maliki" said a US official. ++ A failure of the bill would mean a US withdrawal starting early next year, instead of ending in 2011. ++ Maliki has ruled out an extension to the current UN mandate for the US troops, which runs out at the end of the year. ++ Intense negotiations have preceded the vote. ++ Sunni politicians want guarantees that Sunni prisoners will be transferred to Sunni-run jails.
