From the Los Angeles Times

Iraqi lawmakers protest U.S. guards

Legislators walk out of parliament, complaining that troops at Green Zone entry points are overly aggressive and humiliate them.

By Ann M. Simmons
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

November 29, 2007

BAGHDAD — Dozens of Iraqi lawmakers walked out of parliament Wednesday to protest what they view as overly aggressive and humiliating treatment by U.S. soldiers as representatives enter Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, where the legislature is located.

"I and many of my colleagues who live outside the Green Zone face a lot of problems," said Feryad Rawandozi, a high-ranking official with the Kurdish parliamentary bloc. U.S. soldiers "are very arrogant and impolite when they talk to us, especially with those who don't speak English."

Legislators, like everyone else entering the Green Zone, must submit to a gauntlet of physical searches, and allow their vehicles to be inspected by bomb-sniffing dogs. They must line up with the throngs of other residents and employees seeking to enter the area, which is also headquarters to U.S. operations in Iraq. The process can take up to two hours.

"This is unacceptable," Rawandozi said.

Though U.S. officials in recent months have reported significant progress reducing violence in Baghdad, it has not been enough to warrant a relaxation of stringent security checks. In April, a suicide attack in the parliament building killed one lawmaker.

Army Maj. Anton Alston, a spokesman for Multi-National Force-Iraq, acknowledged that U.S. soldiers guarding checkpoints might be misconstrued as hostile, but said the troops were simply trying to ensure security.

"They don't know who's who. They do a thorough search and give stern instructions to ensure that these individuals coming into the checkpoint are not the bad guys," Alston said. "Their intent is to make sure the environment is safe for themselves and for the folks they are trying to protect."

"If we come off as aggressive, it might be a cultural thing," Alston added.

Rawandozi and other legislators said they were not opposed to thorough security checks, but felt there should be a better system in place to facilitate the entry of busy lawmakers trying to get to work at parliament.

He said it was impractical for legislators to wait two hours to be cleared for entry. He said he often brings a novel with him and manages to read two or three chapters during the delay.

On Wednesday, the issue was raised in parliament, and many lawmakers vented their anger.

The parliament speaker stopped the proceeding for half an hour to protest the behavior of U.S. troops, and as many as 100 lawmakers left the hall. Most returned, but the Kurdish bloc boycotted the remainder of the session, attendees said.

Rawandozi said he had mentioned the concerns over treatment of Iraqi lawmakers to U.S. officials, including Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker and Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of coalition forces in Iraq, but said nothing had been done to address the issue.

Some legislators have suggested that they be issued a special sticker on their badge that would distinguish them from civilians entering the Green Zone, and permit quicker access and less-harsh treatment.

"We have to stand for our dignity as representatives of the Iraqi people," said legislator Safia Suhail.