U.S.: No Handover of Prisons to Iraq

Update 7: U.S.: No Handover of Prisons to Iraq - Forbes.com

Update 7: U.S.: No Handover of Prisons to Iraq
By JASON STRAZIUSO , 12.25.2005, 02:14 PM

The U.S. military will not hand over detention facilities or individual detainees to Iraqi officials until they've demonstrated higher standards of care, a U.S. official said Sunday, two weeks after the discovery of 120 abused Iraqi prisoners. At least 18 people died in violence, including two U.S. soldiers.

Lt. Col. Barry Johnson said detention facilities in Iraq will be transferred over time to Iraqi officials but that they must first demonstrate that detainees' human rights aren't being violated and that international law is being followed.

"A specific timeline for doing this is difficult to project at this stage with so many variables," said Johnson, a military spokesman. "The Iraqis are committed to doing this right and will not rush to failure. The transition will be based on meeting standards, not on a timeline."

In other developments Sunday:

_ Hundreds of Shiites spilled into Baghdad streets to support their governing religious coalition, which took a large lead in the Dec. 15 parliamentary elections and has been the target of opposition vote rigging claims.

_ Smaller demonstrations were held by Sunni Arab groups in the western Anbar city of Fallujah and in eastern Baqouba to support demands for a rerun of the elections, which they claim were tainted by fraud.

_ Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said a new government would not be formed without Sunni Arabs.

_ Eighteen people were killed in violence around Iraq, including two U.S. soldiers killedin Baghdad. Five Iraqi soldiers were killed by a suicide car bomb in the capital.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said this month that at least 120 abused prisoners had been found in two detention facilities run by the Shiite-led Interior Ministry.

Sunni Arabs long have complained about abuse and torture by Interior Ministry security forces. Interior Minister Bayan Jabr has said torture allegations have been exaggerated by people who sympathize with the Sunni-led insurgency.

The Iraqi government and multi-national forces are planning and coordinating for the Iraqis to ultimately take full control of detention facilities, Johnson said. The U.S. Department of Justice is training Iraqi prison guards, he said. About 300 Iraqis have already completed the course.

The New York Times first reported on Sunday that facilities wouldn't be handed over until Iraqi officials demonstrate higher standards.

Two mortar rounds landed near the heavily fortified Green Zone Sunday, and a roadside bomb damaged an American tank east of Baghdad. There were no immediate reports of injuries, but AP Television News footage and photos showed an Abrams main battle tank in flames.

Two Task Force Baghdad soldiers were killed by bombs on Sunday, the military said. It wasn't immediately clear if they died in the same incident, and no more details were released.

A suicide car bomber slammed into two Iraqi army vehicles in central Baghdad, killing five soldiers and wounding seven police and civilians, police Maj. Mohammed Younis said. A second suicide car bomb targeting Iraqi police in Baghdad wounded four officers, police said.

In the Shiite slum of Sadr City, about 1,000 demonstrators held a rally to support preliminary results showing the governing United Iraqi Alliance leading in the elections.

The Alliance has called on Iraqis to accept the results and has been moving ahead with efforts to form a "national unity" government.

In Fallujah, hundreds of Sunni protesters took part in a demonstration organized by the local government to complain about the elections. All public offices were also closed in the former insurgent stronghold.

"We decided to have a sit-in today and stop work in government offices to convey our demands for a rerun of elections," Fallujah Mayor Dhari al-Arsan said.

The Alliance, headed by the cleric Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, said preliminary results showing them with a clear lead in the elections were not the result of fraud or intimidation.

Talabani, Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani and Khalilzad discussed the political process in the northern resort town of Dukan, about 55 kilometers (30 miles) east of the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah.

"The government will not be formed without the Sunni Arabs," Talabani told reporters. He called for a "consensus government that preserves national unity."

He said the rights of the Kurdish people must also be guaranteed.

All of the post-election complaints demonstrate the difficulty that Iraqi parties will face in forming a government after final election results are released in early January. About 1,500 complaints have been lodged about the elections, including at least 35 the Iraqi election commission said could be serious enough to change the results in certain areas.