U.S. troop immunity main hurdle in security pact: Iraq

By Missy Ryan

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Legal protection for U.S. troops in Iraq is the most difficult issue still to be settled in U.S.-Iraqi talks on a new security pact, a senior Iraqi official said on Wednesday.

Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih told Reuters in an interview that Baghdad was awaiting a response from the United States on a number of questions and proposals Iraq had put forward regarding immunity and some other outstanding issues.

"(Immunity) is probably the most contentious issue," Salih said. "There is a history to it. It is very sensitive."

There have been a number of high-profile incidents involving American soldiers killing or abusing Iraqis since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Iraqis were horrified by photos in 2004 of U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison.

In 2005, U.S. Marines were accused of killing 24 civilians in Haditha, west of Baghdad. Most Marines charged in a U.S. military court have had their cases dismissed or been acquitted.

Iraqi officials say such incidents have colored bilateral talks aimed at striking a deal to govern the U.S. troop presence here after a U.N. mandate expires at the year's end.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has vowed that no foreigners will receive "absolute" immunity, and said last month that "the sanctity of Iraqi blood must be respected."

Washington has been keen to shield its soldiers from being tried in Iraqi courts. Under similar deals with some countries, it shares legal jurisdiction over its soldiers.

Nevertheless, Salih said negotiations had entered their "final stages."

Remarkably, officials on both sides appear to have found agreement on what was once seen as the crux of the talks -- a timeframe to end the U.S. troop presence here.

Maliki last month announced that both sides had agreed U.S. troops would leave by the end of 2011.

U.S. officials decline to confirm any details of the agreement until it is concluded.

But such a step would be a significant turnaround for the Bush administration, which has long insisted that setting a timeline for withdrawal would be tantamount to defeat.

US PREPARES TO DRAW DOWN