Special to WorldTribune.com

LONDON — NATO has decided to withdraw from Iraq.

Officials said the Western alliance was pulling out all of its staff
from Iraq, which failed to agree on an extension. They said NATO would
complete its personnel withdrawal from Iraq by 2012.

“Agreement on the extension of this successful program did not prove possible despite robust negotiations conducted over several weeks,” NATO secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen said. “NATO remains fully committed to our partnership and political relationship with Iraq, through our existing Structured Cooperation Framework.”

In a statement on Dec. 12, Rasmussen did not provide details of the failed negotiations between Iraq and NATO, which officials said foundered on Baghdad’s refusal to grant NATO staffers immunity from prosecution. He said the alliance’s training mission, which began in 2004, instructed more than 5,000 soldiers and 10,000 police officers.

“Our trainers can be very proud of what they have achieved over the last seven years, contributing to Iraq’s security capacity and helping to develop a more sustainable, multi-ethnic security force,” Rasmussen said.

The NATO statement was issued as the U.S. military was withdrawing its
forces from Iraq. The U.S. military has pulled out of all but three of 550
bases and facilities in Iraq in a withdrawal scheduled to be completed by
Dec. 31. About 6,000 U.S. troops were said to remain in Iraq.

Rasmussen said NATO intended to maintain cooperation with Iraq. He did
not elaborate.

“We are determined to build on the success and the spirit of our
training mission to further strengthen our partnership and political
relationship with Iraq, so that together we can continue to contribute to
regional peace and stability, which is beneficial for the whole
international community,” Rasmussen said.

  Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Baghdad, NATO to pull out of Iraq by 2012 after talks break down, Structured Cooperation Framework, U.S. military withdrawal