What is the United States long-term relationship with Iraq?

From Senator Biden’s perspective, the agreements made are going to make it more difficult for the successor to the Presidency to change course in Iraq. In his opening statement at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on “Negotiating a Long Term Relationship with Iraq,” Chairman Joseph Biden (D-DE) expressed concerns that the negotiations and agreements being made now will not be in the same line of “vision” for two of the three presidential candidates. Not all security agreements, he said, are created equal.

"Our presence in Iraq must be governed by international law or a bilateral agreement, and our military and diplomatic personnel must have appropriate legal protections," Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN) said. By transitioning to a bilateral agreement, there would be a "tangible expression of Iraqi sovereignty," and there would be a predictable legal framework on both sides. It is important, Lugar said, that the Administration be fully transparent about their intentions, and in the progress of their deliberations.

What is the goal of our agreements with Iraq? According to Ambassador David M. Satterfield, it's to help the Iraqi people establish their country as a stable democratic nation that can meet its people's needs. It is imperative, Satterfield said, that the US negotiates with the Iraqi government an agreement that would provide a post-Chapter VII framework [of the UN mandate] that is applicable to US forces. Specifically, "Iraqi consent to the presence and operation of our forces and the protections necessary for our troops to continue to operate in Iraq."

We owe it to our troops in Iraq, Satterfield said, to obtain for them the protections they enjoy elsewhere in the world. "Let me be clear," he said, "the SOFA [Status of Forces Agreement] and strategic framework will not establish permanent bases in Iraq or specify the number of American troops to be stationed there."

News from the United Nations 2.4.08

Today Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was in Bucharest, Romania.  The SG met with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and discussed tomorrow's meeting on Afghanistan.  In a written statement, the Secretary-General indicated that the two "discussed various issues of mutual interest and concern, starting with the situation in Afghanistan, and Kosovo, the Millennium Development Goals, regional offices and fighting against crime. I am also grateful for the kind gesture to allow shelter to refugees."

Later this week Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes will travel to the middle east to discuss partnership and collaboration between the United Nations, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.  Mr. Holmes will meet with top-level government officials, and Red Cross affiliates.  On April 8th he will deliver the key-note address at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference.

Today the United Nations issued a report stating school enrollment in South Sudan is expected to surpass 1 million.  According to the UN, Last year enrollment was approximately 340,000 students; this year enrollment will be 1.3 million. Since 2007, in conjunction with the government of South Sudan, the 'Go to School' United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has worked to develop permanent education facilities, as well as construct a stable education infrastructure. 

News from the United Nations 4.3.08

Seven members of the United Nations mission in Nepal were killed in a helicopter crash. The UN workers were on a fact-finding mission investigating groups of Maoist rebels.  The group included four arms monitors, and three UN workers from the Nepal mission.  Three crew members were also killed.  The Secretary-General issued condolences to family members of the deceased.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan over the weekend.  Mr. Annan briefed Mr. Ban on the violence, and tentative truce, in Kenya.

The Security Council, in meetings through the weekend, voted in favor of more sanctions on Iran if Iran does not comply with IAEA regulations.  The sanctions would stiffen inspections of cargo going in to and out of Iran.

The General Assembly is expected to issue draft text of a resolution on terrorism soon.  The document, A-57-37, is the result of an adhoc committee convened with the intent to define terrorism.  The report is not a final definition, and must be voted on by members of the General Assembly before it is to take effect.

Ambassador Wisner and Dimitri Simes discuss "Kosovo: What Next?" at the USIP

At the discussion “Kosovo: What Next?” held at the United States Institute of Peace, Ambassador Frank G. Wisner, Special Representative of the Secretary of State to the Kosovo Status talks, said that it is an “unusual declaration” for Kosovo to declare independence, because their independence will be supervised. It was clear to anyone, he said, that Kosovo had a few bridges that would need to be built across the divide toward independence. Serbia finds itself on a real threshold of history, and he said the opinion today is that Serbia is looking backwards with humiliation and cannot move forward if it continues to carry the “albatross of Kosovo” with it.

Wisner said that he did not think the outcome could have been different. The offer put on the table was limited autonomy, but the deeply held views by Serbia would prevent autonomy from being a solution. First and foremost, he said, if peace is to be maintained, the United States and the Europeans must be heavily involved in the detailed protection of the minorities in order to produce success.

The United States, he said, needs to reestablish ties with Belgrade because Serbia is a major factor in the Balkans. Why Russian chose to “draw a line’ over Kosovo is a question, he said, and Russia’s decision has produced a deep alienation between Moscow, many European capitals, and the United States. Russia’s blocking of the declaration is making them alienated, but he said he does not think that Russia’s opposition will continue much longer.

Dimitri K. Simes, President of The Nixon Center, said he thinks it is a tragedy to what extent informed people in the United States do not know “the other narrative,” which, he said, is very important. Russia is not going to use military force or establish bases in the Balkans. Russia will not cooperate, he said, because Moscow does not want Kosovo’s independence.

The problem, Simes said, is that if we are prepared to “swallow it,” he does not know why we are not prepared to make a deal with Russia. There are serious implications he said, and as a result of the United States violating the UN resolutions, Russia will most likely approach the Kosovo issue “selectively” just like the United States does. According to Simes, Moscow says that if the UN security resolutions can be ignored, Russia should be entitled to be selective when it is in Russia’s interests.

Ambassador Wisner said that his conclusion after listening to Simes was that Russia thinks it’s the most important element in the Kosovo issue, but that he disagrees. He said the United States interests were broader than that. He said he believes that Russia, like the United States, has interests that can be accommodated but that he does not believe that the cost of denying a solution to a problem that was “crying out” was wrong. His question to the audience was, ‘do we want to destroy the UN, are we going to leave the UN and revert Kosovo to autonomy?’ He declared that Russia’s view that autonomy was offered is disillusioned. UNSC Resolution 1244 makes it clear, he said, that there can be independence and that violation of national law has not occurred.

News from the United Nations 25.2.08

To protest the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, approximately ten thousand protesters gathered on the Gaza border today.  The event was organized by Hamas, and although Israeli troops were ordered to open fire should the group attempt to cross the border, the event ended without incident.

Several unconfirmed reports of additional rockets lobbed at Israel have caused speculation of potential massive Israeli military action against Palestinian militants.

Haaretz is reporting that Israel might boycott the United Nations Durban II conference on human rights.

United Nations Joint Special Representative Rodolphe Adada has issued a statement on Darfur.  According to the report, UNAMID received news of aerial bombings in Western Darfur on the morning of February 24th.  The Sudanese government has assured UNAMID that civilians will be kept out of harm’s way.

Raul Castro, brother to former Cuba dictator Fidel, assumed power on Sunday.  He will be the country’s new president.  In a statement to the Cuban people, Raul assured the country that little would change.

In Turkey, violence between PKK fighters and Kurdish militants continued through the weekend.  Though the Iraqi government asked Turkey to withdraw, Turkish troop levels in Iraq are still estimated to be around ten thousand.