Photo - Iraq was once controlled by the British.Patrick Cockburn, in The Independent, 5 June 2008, tells us of US plans to stay in Iraq.
Revealed: Secret plan to keep Iraq under US control
"A secret deal being negotiated in Baghdad would perpetuate the American military occupation of Iraq indefinitely, regardless of the outcome of the US presidential election in November."
The terms of the deal, leaked to The Independent, are as follows:
1. US troops would have more than 50 permanent bases in Iraq.
2. US troops would be able to conduct military operations, arrest Iraqis and enjoy immunity from Iraqi law.
The deal 'would undercut pledges by the Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama, to withdraw US troops if he is elected president in November.'
The Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has called on his followers to demonstrate against the agreement on the grounds that it removes Iraq's independence.
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