Monday
Dec152008
Iraq Non-Story of the Day: Bye, Bye Britain
Monday, December 15, 2008 at 16:00
Deborah Haynes of The Times, in a near-imperial huff, headlines today:
You know we're in a sorry state on this island when we're lumped with El Salvador, but this is about as undramatic a piece of news as you can get. Britain's mandate to stay in Iraq, like that of US troops, was under a United Nations agreement with Baghdad that expires on 31 December.
That was the reason why Washington had to fight for its extension under the Status of Forces Agreement. No time left for London to get its version, so British forces have to pack up and come home. The proposed Iraqi legislation for Britain and the other five countries sets a deadline of 31 May for military duties, with a two-month grace period for British troops.
British Forces will leave Iraq by the end of next July under a humiliating proposal that lumps the once-valued deployment with five smaller contingents, including those of Romania, El Salvador and Estonia.
You know we're in a sorry state on this island when we're lumped with El Salvador, but this is about as undramatic a piece of news as you can get. Britain's mandate to stay in Iraq, like that of US troops, was under a United Nations agreement with Baghdad that expires on 31 December.
That was the reason why Washington had to fight for its extension under the Status of Forces Agreement. No time left for London to get its version, so British forces have to pack up and come home. The proposed Iraqi legislation for Britain and the other five countries sets a deadline of 31 May for military duties, with a two-month grace period for British troops.
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