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TechnoratiBlackwater Contract Renewal Not Approved by Iraq: Maliki
BAGHDAD - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said the the US State Department had renewed the contract of private security company Blackwater USA without the approval of the Baghdad government.
Blackwater is the most controversial of several private security firms tasked with protecting high-profile US officials and foreign diplomats in Iraq.
The company's guards shot dead 17 Iraqi civilians while escorting an American diplomat through Baghdad in September 2007 in an incident denounced as a crime by the Iraqi government.
Blackwater says its guards reacted in self-defence.
"As far as Iraqi government is involved, this issue is still under consideration and we are still discussing principles upon which foreign security companies must operate, especially this company because they committed a massacre against Iraqis and until now this matter has not been resolved," Maliki said on Monday in an interview with US television network CNN.
"No judicial action has been taken, no compensation has been made. Therefore the extension requires approval of the Iraqi government and the government wants to resolve the outstanding issues with this company," Maliki said.
"I would say the US side should not move to renew the contract until the outstanding issues of the company are finalised. I feel the decision was taken without the approval of the Iraqi government."
The US State Department said on Friday it is extending its diplomat protection contract for Blackwater despite the fatal shootings.
The company's contract was set to expire on May 7.
Foreign security companies at currently not subject to Iraq law, but at the same time are not governed by US military tribunals, allowing them to operate without regard to any repercussions.
© 2008 Agence France Presse
18 Comments so far
Show All" odoco April 7th, 2008 11:20 am
God, how I love democracies!
If Maliki let's them back in he automatically incurs the wrath of all the separate militias - if he denies them access then he is overthrown by US and we see what a farce this really is. ..."
DEMOCRACIES? Mostly in your dreams!
If Maliki ... bla bla bla; PM Nouri al-Maliki's puppet, and whenever puppet [really] gets out of line, then there's re-tensioning, say. The "masters" don't like the "puppets" getting too far out of line; but can be flexible, as long as it's not believed to be counter-strategy, so -objectives.
Don't let Obama or Clinton or McCain off the hook on this serious issue that involves the essence of US decency, respect for the lives of innocent Iraqis,the destruction of Iraqi society by US hired thugs and the bankrupting of the US economy by exhorbitant payments to an armed cohort operating without legal oversight or accountability to international or US law. All three US prez candidates must be pressed on this and not allowed to evade giving a clear answer.
Jcrumb, how correct you are. People wonder why government workers don't fight for health insurance when they have the best tax payers can pay for.
I think Golddogs has it right
Why would Bu$h the inferior ask Maliki? He is not involved in the decision making process in Iraq at all. Wait and see.
And guess what? YOUR PAYING FOR IT!
Is it any wonder that the contract would expire in May? NO WAY! The feds need to make sure they get all your money first..make sure your still too afraid not to pick up the check...so to all of you who feel that Blackwater is evil..as do I, then why are YOU PAYING THE SALLERIES FOR THE MERCENARIES?
I am not..but YOU ARE!
How can you rationalize and justify your payments to a government that ignores it's own citizens and also ignores the rule of law..how can you justify PAYING THE WAGES OF BLACKWATER THUG-RUNTS AS THEY MURDER INNOCENT CIVILLIANS???
It is very easy to stop this kind of thing..JUST SIMPLY STOP PAYING FOR IT! YOUR TACIT APPROVAL IN THE FORM OF YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT IS WHAT THEY NEED TO CONTINUE THIS AUTHORITARIAN, FRIENDLY FASCIST NEW WORLD ORDER...THEY NEED YOUR MONEY TO DO THIS..PERIOD...IF YOU STOP PAYING, THEY STOP PAYING..AND THE WHOLE CROOKED SYSTEM COMES DOWN...RATIONALIZE AWAY..GO AHEAD...BUT THE REALITY TI THIS: YOU ARE TOO AFRAID OF YOUR GOVERNMENT TO NOT PICK UP THE CHECK...THEY HAVE COWED YOU TO THAT POINT, THAT YOU WILL ACTUALLY PAY FOR THE THINGS YOU HATE..THIS IS WHERE IT'S AT..WHAT IT HAS COME TO..SO DO NOT DECLARE...AND BY DOING SO...MAKE THE ONLY STATEMENT THAT THE FECERAL GOVERNMENT UNDERSTANDS..BESIDES SHOCK AND AWE...WHICH IS.."NO..I WILL NO LONGER GIVE YOU MY MONEY SO THAT YOU CAN SPEND IT ON CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AND MURDER, TORTURE, ILLEGAL WAR, AND ON AND ON AND ON...SO STOP PAYING, OR..SORRY TO SAY...JUST KEEP QUIET...IF YOU PAY, YOUR WORDS OF PROTEST ARE..HOLLOW AT BEST..AND HYPOCRACY AT WORST...
TheLorax wrote: "Blackwater is in Iraq to stay".
True, but also, America is in Iraq to stay. Reason? The oil reserves under the ground in Iraq are beyond belief (also the reason we went there in the first place). Our new palacial embassy there is bigger than the Vatican!
I agree with other posters, Erik Prince should be on trial for treason and war crimes, along with his hired killers. These pukes are not patriots; they are worthless, chicken-shit,neocon profiteers. They are selling our country down the drain.
must keep Blackwater on the payroll for the upcoming canceling of the US elections and meltdown of society as we knew it.
SO?
When the Blackwater incident happened I read a few posts on here that said "Now we'll seee just how much power the Iraqi government has."
There's an answer to that now - NONE!
The USA controls Iraq, obvious because of the Blackwater renewal. al-Maliki has no authority.
The US Government doesn't need the permission of the Iraqi government just liek it doesn't need permission from it's own Congress. This is a 'do whatever you want' government.
Blackwater is in Iraq to stay.
Odoco, I saw a short clip of Amy Goodman trying to get Obama to answer. He looked irritated and couldn't get away fast enough.
All three, McCain, Obama, and Clinton, represent the military-industrial war complex, war profiteers, weapons industry, AIPAC, and corporations. What the majority of citizens in this country want is unimportant to them.
WTF has nailed it. The US doesn't mind if al-Maliki huffs and puffs for the benefit of the Iraqis as long as he doesn't actually do anything. The only reason he's in power is because the US is protecting him. Like the only reason we're not losing very many American soldiers at present is because we're paying the Sunni insurgents not to shoot at them. Unsustainable.
kathyodat
What would be ironic justice to the Blackwater mercenaries is if they have to do a redux of the retreat by Greek mercenaries written about by Xenophon in his work, Anabasis. Roughly the same part of the world too.
al-Malaka will do as he is told. This subterfuge is a sham to impress upon the Iraqi people that al-Malaki is a man of "substance".
Getting rid of bush/cheney's private militia blackwater in Iraq won't happen as long as bush/cheney remain in office and probably even under any of the 3 prez candidates. Why pay American soldiers a few dollars when you can pay private contractors millions? Isn't that the American way?
Surely Maliki knows there is no such thing as the Baghdad government.
God, how I love democracies!
If Maliki let's them back in he automatically incurs the wrath of all the separate militias - if he denies them access then he is overthrown by US and we see what a farce this really is.
Erik Prince should be in prison, along with many of his thugs. They are hired killers - end of subject. By renewing their contract our government tells the world that we care nothing for humanity, nothing for justice, nothing for accountability - ah - the great American charade.
By the way - Obama has yet to state that he will curtail ths type of contracted murdered. When asked about it by Amy Goodman he equivocated, double-talked, and walked off. He should be pressed on this subject - as should each of the other two candidates.