Shiite Bloc's Demands Stall U.S.-Iraq Pact

Mahmoud Othman, a lawmaker from the Kurdish bloc, the second-biggest in parliament, said the escalation in demands by the Shiite alliance could represent politicians' desire to position themselves before provincial elections expected in the next few months. Many Iraqis resent the American presence, seeing it as a violation of the country's sovereignty.

Another factor is that politicians "are trying to buy time," he said. "Some are thinking to delay until the next administration" that emerges from the U.S. presidential election, he added.

The United Iraqi Alliance met Saturday night with Maliki to discuss the draft accord. The alliance said in a statement that there were "positive items" in the accord but that it needed more time to discuss other aspects that "need an amendment."

The statement did not elaborate. But two members of the alliance said others were wary of language that would permit an extension of the U.S. presence beyond 2011, the lawmakers said.

"Some people say, what's going on?" Askeri said. "This article opens the door to the next government" of Iraq to lengthen the U.S. troops' stay, he said. Iraq is scheduled to hold national elections next year.

The accord also would require U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraqi cities to their bases by June 30, 2009.

On the question of legal jurisdiction, one of the thorniest issues in the negotiations, the draft accord says that American soldiers can be subject to Iraqi law if they are accused of committing a major crime while outside their bases and off-duty. American troops rarely leave their bases except on official missions, so it would appear that soldiers would seldom, if ever, face Iraqi courts.

Askeri said Iraqi lawmakers were unhappy with the idea that U.S. military authorities would determine when forces were considered off-duty. "We expect, if any problem will be committed by any soldier, he will be defended by his colleagues. They'll say he was doing his job, and [the crime] was not deliberate," Askeri said.

That decision should instead be made by a joint committee, and if there is a deadlock, it should go to an Iraqi court, he said.

The Pentagon insists on having sole legal jurisdiction over U.S. troops in most foreign countries. Some U.S. lawmakers have objected to even the limited compromise agreed to so far by American negotiators.

Askeri said the fate of the accord was "now up to the Americans." He added: "If they show the civility, if they will remove the articles or phrases, I think there is a big chance we can agree on this and send it to parliament."

A second lawmaker in the United Iraqi Alliance said in a telephone interview he wanted two additional concessions from the United States. Muhammad al-Haydari, who heads a group of independents in the Shiite bloc, said that U.S. authorities should provide the Baghdad government with information on all Iraqis working on American bases.