US seeks immunity, impunity

2004-06-14 12:42

Washington - Iraq's new government has been resisting US demands that thousands of US civilian contractors be granted immunity from Iraqi law in the same way as US military forces are currently immune, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing Iraqi sources.

If accepted, US foreign contractors would be put into a special legal category outside both US military justice and Iraq's justice system, according to the Post.

After the June 30 handover of power US soldiers will remain outside Iraqi law on the basis of a June 8 UN Security Council resolution and an exchange of letters in which interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi requests their continued presence, according to US officials.

However civilian contractors are not covered by the Security Council resolution or by Allawi's request. Neither do they come under US military jurisdiction, although some are hired by the Pentagon, the Post reports.

There are between 20 000 and 30 000 foreign contractors in Iraq of dozens of nationalities with jobs that range from security guards to engineers and business people, according to the Post.

Two US contract employees at the Abu Ghraib prison were recently accused in a Pentagon report of participating in illegal abuse of Iraqi prisoners, but they have not been charged in Iraq or in the United States, the Post reported.

The US proposal would cover only US contractors, the Post reported.

- AFP