Irak 229

Irak probeert zich te verdedigen tegen de westerse doodseskaders, die druk bezig zijn de westerse waarden daar te verspreiden.

Iraqi Cabinet Votes to End Security Firms' Immunity
By Alissa J. Rubin
The New York Times

Baghdad — Draft legislation that lifts immunity for foreign private security companies gained the consent of the Iraqi cabinet on Tuesday and sent to Parliament for approval, a government spokesman said.
The measure would end a provision that protects the security companies from prosecution, which has been in effect since 2004, when the Americans handed sovereignty back to Iraq.
The provision has long rankled Iraqis, who say the private guards have used excessive force on a number of occasions, wounding or killing civilians. It became a major point of contention between the American and Iraqi governments after a Sept. 16 shooting by guards working for Blackwater that Iraqi investigators have said left 17 Iraqis dead and at least 24 wounded.
The Iraqi government's decision followed reports that the State Department had promised Blackwater guards immunity from prosecution in its investigation of the shootings. On Tuesday, the State Department confirmed that some Blackwater employees questioned in connection with the shootings had been granted a form of immunity in exchange for their statements.
The draft law canceling the private security firms' immunity was written by the legal adviser to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. It would overturn a measure known as Order 17, dating from the administration of L. Paul Bremer III.
Under the version approved by the cabinet, foreign security companies would have to meet several criteria, including a requirement that all their weapons be licensed by the Iraqi Interior Ministry. Their equipment, including helicopters and armored vehicles, would have to be registered with the appropriate Iraqi agencies and all foreign employees would have to obtain visas from the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.
Currently, many contractors in Iraq, including those who work for security firms, enter the country without regular visas because they have badges that say they work with the Defense Department or another agency either of the United States or of a country in the American-led coalition. The Iraqi government previously accepted the badges rather than requiring visas.
"This decision does not just cover Blackwater; it will cover all the foreign security firms operating in Iraq," said Thamir Ghadban, the chairman of Mr. Maliki's council of advisers. "This law will protect Iraqis and Iraq's sovereignty."'

Lees verder: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/103107B.shtml