Length: 2:53
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Wolf talks to Michael about the treaty currently being negotiated between Washington and Baghdad (and Tehran...) that will set the boundaries for keeping American troops in Iraq beyond the end of 2008... possibly well beyond.
WOLF
BLITZER: Amidst all of this and perhaps fueling some
of those price increases, the growing tensions
between the U.S. and Iraq over the long-term role of
U.S. forces in Iraq. Iraq reportedly wants U.S.
forces confined to bases. Iran, meanwhile, is
pressuring its neighbor, Iraq, to send all foreign
troops, including all U.S. troops, out of the
country.
CNN's Michael Ware is joining us now live from
Baghdad with more on what's going on.
We see the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri Al Maliki, he
shows up once again in Tehran -- hugs and kisses for
the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
What is going on as far as U.S. long-term military
bases, troop levels in Iraq, are concerned?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, what's
happening right now is that the clock is ticking down
on the U.N. mandate for the troop presence here in
Iraq. Essentially, Washington's got until the end of
December to come up with an agreement between
Washington and Baghdad that will set the framework
for any ongoing U.S. troop presence -- the levels,
what they can and cannot do.
Now, Tehran is dead against this. They've long stated
that their policy is the occupation is not justified,
it should have ended, it's long overdue for Americans
to leave.
What's at stake here, Wolf, is almost the entire U.S.
mission. In many ways, the way this agreement
eventually shakes out between Baghdad and Washington
is going to be a barometer of whether America is
winning or losing the true war in Iraq -- and that's
the one of influence with Tehran -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Several members of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, Democrats and Republicans,
they're concerned about this deal because they want
to know more about it. They want to have a say in its
negotiation.
How concerned should Senator Obama and Senator McCain
be about what the outgoing Bush administration might
be doing as far as tying their hands down the road?
WARE: Well, on one level, they should be waking up in
the middle of the night screaming at the mere thought
of it. But on another level, they ain't got much
choice. This agreement needs to be struck. From the
time that the U.N. mandate expires to the
inauguration of the U.S. president in January, would
effectively amount to an illegal occupation of the
sovereign nation of Iraq. Now perhaps there can be
some sort of bridging agreement made, if it came to
that. But the situation now is so unsettled, simply
because the negotiations are underway and because
they're in such difficult territory, that if you drag
it out waiting for the next administration, you could
almost kiss Iraq goodbye -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Michael Ware in Baghdad for us.
Michael, thank you.