No security immunity for contractors in Iraq

The authorities in Iraq said security contractors working in the country would no longer receive immunity from prosecution in that nation under a deal being brokered by Iraqi and US officials.



Iraqi foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, said yesterday he briefed Iraqi parliamentarians about the immunity agreement during a closed-door meeting.



The immunity issue was one of the sticking points in talks over a long-term security pact that deals with among other things, the future of the US military presence in Iraq.



The reported immunity agreement comes more than nine months, after an incident in which Iraqi officials alleged that guards with the Blackwater security firm shot and killed 17 people including women and children.



Blackwater is one of the contractors providing security services for the state department in Iraq.



The shooting prompted a bitter protest from Iraqi officials and placed the operations of Blackwater and other security firms in Iraq under scrutiny.