Iraqi Shiites Continue to Exert Independence and Seek Changes to U.N. Deal on U.S. Troops - New York Times

Iraqi Shiites Continue to Exert Independence and Seek Changes to U.N. Deal on U.S. Troops - New York Times: "Iraqi Shiites Continue to Exert Independence and Seek Changes to U.N. Deal on U.S. Troops
By SABRINA TAVERNISE

BAGHDAD, Nov. 1 — In a continued effort to demonstrate their independence from Washington, Iraqi Shiites are pressing a fresh set of conditions on their American supporters, asking for changes in the Iraqi government’s relationship with the United States military.

In a move that seemed designed more to placate Iraq’s Shiite majority than to influence the broader management of the war, Iraqi leaders have drawn up a set of changes to a United Nations agreement that provides some of the legal basis for American troops here.

The changes, if enacted, could give the Iraqi government more control over its own armed forces, something Iraqi leaders want, but were not likely to change fundamentally the way the war is directed."