Iraq witnessed one of the biggest anti-US protests after the US Invasion of the country in 2003 on Saturday. Hundreds and thousands of people marched on the streets of Baghdad on Saturday demanding an early exit of occupation forces and rejecting a security pact with the United States. Interestingly, the protest was organised by the party of hardline Shia cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, a key ally of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki. Sadr’s Mahdi Army has been in an uneasy truce with the US-led coalition and the government.
Even though one doesn’t have any sympathy for the Mahdi Army and its rabble-rousing tactics, it is not possible to ignore the issues raised by the protesters. The reservations of Iraqi people with regard to the deal on US presence cannot be summarily dismissed. Even Western commentators agree that the deal favours the occupying powers more than the occupied country. According to the deal, the US forces will withdraw from Iraqi towns and villages by June 2009 and pull out from Iraq completely by December 2011. Meanwhile, Iraq has secured the right to prosecute US soldiers and civilians for crimes committed outside their bases and when off duty. However, the draft stipulates that Washington alone will have the jurisdiction over its soldiers and civilians if they commit a crime inside their facilities or when on missions. The draft deal has run into rough weather as the politicians, religious leaders and ordinary Iraqis see it as being lopsided in favour of the US.
Even though, Iraq will continue to need the US and Western support for some months and years to come - thanks the all-round destruction of the country during the Invasion - the US should pay attention to the message from Iraqi street. There are two specifics that need to be addressed. One is the exit of foreign troops; and second, the issue of Iraq’s sovereignty. Though one can debate and negotiate the withdrawal timetable, Washington must not push the Iraqi leaders to make compromises on the country’s sovereignty. Iraq’s leaders must ensure it does not become another Japan. Today, Tokyo is handicapped in trying US soldiers on its soil 
for crimes. Iraq’s sovereignty is not a give-
and-take issue.