Maliki now supports new U.S. troop deal

By GottaLaff

Flip. Flop. Flip:

Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki has informed Iraq's presidency council that he now supports a security agreement with the United States, a Shiite Muslim legislator who's close to the premier said Friday.[...]

The only person who dissented was the Sunni vice president, Tariq al Hashimi.

Askari said Maliki planned to address the nation in coming days to ask for the people's support of the agreement, which Iraqi officials now call the "withdrawal agreement."

This would represent an about-face for the Shiite prime minister, who was a hard-line holdout throughout the negotiations and had publicly criticized early drafts of the agreement. [...]

"We can't get any more," Askari said. "In practice, the Americans, they can't do anything alone, according to this agreement. . . . He (Maliki) feels now after all the amendments it's not a perfect agreement but he can now go to the people and say look this is far better to accept this than the other options."

While the United States didn't give in to Iraqi demands for the power to prosecute American soldiers, Maliki now thinks that this is the best deal they can get, Askari said. [...]

Currently the draft calls for U.S. soldiers to withdraw from Iraqi cities by the end of next June and to withdraw from the country by the end of 2011. The latest pact had about 100 changes requested by the Iraqi government, including an agreement for the government to inspect American cargo that it's suspicious of, Askari said.

Stay tuned for the next episode of "Deals of Our Lives".