US withdrawal will not affect relations with Iraq – MP

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A State of Law Bloc MP disclosed that there is a U.S. desire to retain some of its units in Iraq following the date for their total withdrawal at the end of the current year.  “It is clear from their political messages,” MP Saleh Al-Hasnawi noted.  He declared to IraqiNews.com that the withdrawal will not affect the relations between the two countries.  “The Iraqi position is not clear; a matter that should be resolved by Iraq and by respecting the will of the Iraqi people”, he elaborated.  The security agreement between Baghdad and Washington signed in November 2008 stipulates that the U.S. forces should withdraw from all Iraqi territories, space and waters by the end of this year.  By June 2009, U.S. forces withdrew from all Iraqi cities and villages.  “There is a conflict in political opinions, some support an extension of the U.S. forces stay,  while others oppose. As of now, no decision has yet been made,” Hasnawi added.  RM (TI)/SR 495