Iraq MPs reject law on British troops

Iraq's parliament has voted to reject a draft law that allows troops from Britain, Australia and several other countries to remain beyond the end of this year, Iraqi parliamentarians said.

Hussein al-Falluji, a member of the Sunni Accordance Front, said the draft law, under which troops would withdraw by the end of July, was rejected because lawmakers objected to it being in the form of legislation, rather than an agreement - as was the deal Iraq signed with the United States.

Mr Falluji said: "Legally, relations between two countries cannot be organised by a law. They should be arranged, according to international law, through treaties or agreements."

"For this reason parliament rejected this law. It was a big mistake by the government."

Both the law governing the British presence and the security pact allowing the 140,000 US soldiers in the country to remain three more years replace a UN mandate that expires on December 31.

Nassir al-Issawi, a lawmaker loyal to anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who wants an immediate end to what he sees as a foreign occupation, said: "What the parliament did today, rejecting the bill, was a great national achievement."

He added: "We believe that British forces and all other forces should pack their things."

 

I think the sooner our Lads come home the better.

Number of US forces out there should be able to fill any gaps
anyway.Can't see why the clown wants our guys to stay past the agreed
UN finish date -- should have had them all home for Christmas.

:nemo: :nemo:

 

I can't see any reason to stay past the UN mandate agreed date anyway.
If the UN wish to remain past that date then they need to vote on it and start getting other nations involved more on the ground.
The only thing that worries me is if we pull out en masse and the whole thing falls apart inside 6 months. Because that would be just perfect for Iran to come to the "aid" of their Iraqi brothers :roll:

 

What, now that everyone had decided to go home, the Iraqis want us to stay? **** em. :thefinger: