Iraq-U.S. Security Talks Stalled

BAGHDAD - Iraq's negotiations with the United States on a security agreement governing America's long-term involvement in the country are at an impasse because America's demands infringe upon Iraq's sovereignty, the country's prime minister said Friday.

Al-Maliki said negotiations will continue, but his tough talk reflects Iraqi determination to win greater control of U.S. military operations after the U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year.

The comments were the first by the prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, in which he explicitly detailed the main points of contention between the United States and the Iraqi government on the security .

They came while, in Friday sermons, Shiite and Sunni imams warned against any deal that limits Iraq's independence, in some cases misrepresenting both American and Iraqi positions in the talks.

Many of al-Maliki's concerns have been voiced publicly over the last several weeks by prominent Shiite politicians in Iraq, some of them from his own Dawa Party. This is the first time that the prime minister has raised the same points and described the major differences between the two nations.

The agreement would establish a long-term security relationship between the United States and Iraq and provide a legal basis for the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq after the U.N. mandate expires.

Al-Maliki said there were four areas in which proposed versions of the agreement failed to give sufficient deference to Iraqi sovereignty.

"Iraq rejects Washington's insistence on granting their forces immunity from Iraqi laws and courts," he said. "We reject Washington's demand to have a free hand in undertaking military operations without cooperation with the Iraqi government."

He added: "We cannot give permission to the American forces independent right to arrest Iraqis or execute operations against terrorism. We cannot allow them to use the Iraqi skies and waters at all times."

Failure to strike a deal would be a major setback for President Bush ahead of November's elections and at a time when Democrats are calling for an end to the unpopular war.

This week, President Bush expressed confidence that his administration would reach a new agreement with Iraq.

The negotiations face opposition in Congress and, increasingly, in Iraq. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States did not consider the talks at an impasse and that "the negotiations will continue."

Within Iraq, different Iraqi political factions hold varying views: Sunnis and Kurds, for instance, are more open to an agreement, but some of the Shiite factions, which are closer to Iran, are more critical of it.

They all emphasize the importance of Iraq's sovereignty rights.

Iran's supreme leader has warned al-Maliki not to ratify an agreement.