April 12, 2004

What the Hell is "Sovereignty"?

"Contrary to US assurances, there may not be a basis in international law for American and coalition troops to remain after June 30 without a new mandate. That must come either from the UN or the new interim Iraqi government, or both, says a lawyer advising the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC), Noah Feldman.

The US has argued that the interim constitution signed by the council and the US Ambassador, Paul Bremer, allows the coalition forces to remain in charge of security after June 30.
But this is disputed in Baghdad and at the UN. The most important Shiite leader in Iraq, the Grand Ayotollah Ali al-Sistani, has rejected the claim.

Mr Feldman said if the US refused to acknowledge that it needed a fresh agreement with the interim government allowing the coalition to continue to exercise military control, 'it raises some serious questions about what the hell is sovereignty'."

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