Contractors face prospect of losing immunity in Iraq

Contractors working in Iraq could soon face the prospect of operating in a war zone with no guarantee of immunity from local laws.

The Bush administration is nearing a deal with the Iraqi government that would outline the U.S. presence in Iraq once the current status-of-forces agreement expires at the end of the year. The new pact would include an "aspirational timetable" for the removal of U.S. troops by December 2011.

Foreign contractors could be stripped of their immunity from local criminal laws as part of this agreement, potentially placing thousands of American workers in the crosshairs of Iraq's judicial system, a number of media outlets have reported.

Lawrence Peter, director of the Private Security Company Association of Iraq, said the terms of such an agreement have not yet been made public and many critical details about the legal framework that would apply to contractors remain unanswered. ....