well.....read....then

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- No blanket immunity deal was offered to Blackwater guards for their statements regarding a shootout in Iraq last month that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead, two senior State Department officials told CNN Tuesday.


Blackwater contractors take part in a firefight in the Iraqi city of Najaf in 2004.

1 of 2


However, some kind of limited immunity was apparently offered by State Department investigators when they questioned the Blackwater personnel apparently involved in the shootings, the officials said.

CNN previously reported the guards were promised their statements would not be used against them in a criminal prosecution as long as the statements were true.

One of the senior State Department officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authorization to speak on the matter, said the department's Diplomatic Security branch does not have the right or ability to offer blanket immunity and did not do anything that would inhibit prosecutors if charges are to be pursued.

"We want to see anyone who violated laws or broke rules held accountable," the official said. "Nothing that was done prevents anyone from being prosecuted if they broke the law.

"It's a gross distortion of understanding of the situation to say that anyone at State attempted to shield any of these individuals," the official added.

One of the officials said the investigators were acting under authority of case law that allows government employees to make statements that will then not be used against them in criminal proceedings.
Monday, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said whatever arrangements were made were not sanctioned by the senior management of the State Department.

Another spokesman said the working-level Diplomatic Security officials in Iraq followed standard procedures and their actions would need to have been cleared by Washington. The spokesman added that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is not informed of every detail of every action taken.

The decision on whether to prosecute the guards involved in the shooting is in the hands of the Justice Department now because the FBI has taken over the investigation. Watch an expert assess the legality of an immunity offer »

Spokespeople for the department and the FBI declined to comment, as did Blackwater.

Monday, the officials speaking on the matter said that even if some kind of limited immunity deal were made, it would not mean that charges would never be brought against those involved in the shooting.

North Carolina-based contractor Blackwater USA says its guards came under fire while protecting a State Department convoy and acted properly in self-defense, but Iraqi authorities have called the killings "premeditated murder."

The prospect of immunity had elicited angry reactions from Democrats.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, earlier on Tuesday accused the Bush "amnesty administration" of letting its allies, including security contractors in Iraq, shirk responsibility for their actions.

"In this administration, accountability goes by the boards," Leahy said. "That seems to be a central tenet in the Bush administration -- that no one from their team should be held accountable, if accountability can be avoided.

Meanwhile, Iraq's parliament is considering a draft bill that would require security companies operating in the country to obey Iraqi laws with no immunity, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Tuesday.

"All security companies operating in Iraq, those affiliated with them and non-Iraqi parties they have a contract with, are subject to Iraqi civil and penal laws," al-Dabbagh said. "There will be no immunity."

The draft bill would also subject security companies to Iraqi laws concerning visas, residency, taxes and customs, al-Dabbagh explained.

The law apparently would not be retroactive, but would address only violations that occur after its passage.

Until then, private contractors in Iraq apparently are still governed by Order 17 of the Coalition Provisional Authority's code for Iraq, set up in the early days of the U.S. occupation.Order 17 stated that all non-Iraqi entities working in the country were subject to the jurisdiction of their sending countries and "immune from Iraqi legal process."

"They shall be immune from any form of arrest or detention other than by persons acting on behalf of their sending states," the order said.

Source: www.cnn.com


Why are their "private" contracters in Iraq?

Well private security contractors are employed to cover diplomats that the U.S. troops don't have time for. Currently U.S. troops are spread far too thin in Iraq and while there have been horror stories, mainly Blackwater, they are few and far between. Regulation can't even be maintained because the DHS fails at life, so basically they'll continue what they're doing. Yay.

Originally Posted by Treeeeent

Why are their "private" contracters in Iraq?

PMC's are a part of the modern battle field and have been so since the 50's in parts of the world. Mostly in Africa but have been existing in major conficts ranging from South America to the Balkans. The PMC's in Iraq are mostly there to protect the companies or individuals that are involved int he reconstruction (mostly). If you are interested there are several websites out there that are dedicated to the subject and are not run by the media. If you are interested go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJQMsBDQj2U it is a link for to the trailer for a called movie called Shadow Company. It is a little biased but a good introduction