Maliki: No American bases in Kurdistan
Again, no SOFA without the clerics approval
Al-Adeeb who is second in rank after Maliki in Dawa Party told Al-Mashriq newspaper [no link allowed, see image above] that high references clerics must decide to approve the security agreement or not after the parliament approval.
He added that religious clerics are very influential in the Iraqi streets and political blocs are obliged to take their opinions in the agreement.
No American bases in Kurdistan
Kurdish sources told Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Watan that Maliki refused to include Kurdistan among the U.S. military bases presence in the SOFA agreement, noted that Maliki used Iran and Turkey’s refusal to prevent the American from establishing and American base in Kurdistan. They also said that there is no American forces presence in Kurdistan since the fall of Saddam in 2003.
Maliki was also not very supportive for the presence of U.S. forces to join Iraqi Kurds forces to fight against the Turkish - Kurdish PKK on the Turkey’s border a year ago.
The sources conclusion is that Baghdad fears reflects Iran and Turkey fears of the growing relations between the Kurds and the U.S. and the future possibilities that the Kurds will announce the independent Kurdistan state.
Ironically is that Maliki used the Minister of Foreign Affairs Zebari who is a Kurds to push this agenda in the negotiations with the Americans.
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