According to the Status Of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the U.S. and Iraq, all U.S. troops must be withdrawn from Iraqi cities by today, June 30. It also gives the Iraqi government jurisdiction to give permission to U.S. troops for military operations and bans the U.S. from staging attacks on other countries from Iraq. Thus, today, some Iraqis are celebrating the end of U.S. soldiers in their streets and the open destruction of their homes, schools and infrastructure.

But the U.S. occupation of Iraq is far from over. A massive number of troops — more than 130,000 — remain in Iraq in addition to more than 130,000 military contractors. Obama also plans to keep 50,000 military personnel there past 2011. The strategy now is to encircle cities including Baghdad (and those particularly to the north) with bases, home to troops who will work inside the cities by day in various roles. Some are given the mandate to train and assist Iraqi forces, however, their numbers and continued presence will fuel further resistance and violence, continuing to destabilize the region. The Pentagon is dodging the SOFA principles, and Obama is still far from fulfilling his promise.

We look forward to the day when we can truly celebrate — alongside the Iraqi people — an end to the U.S. occupation and the fulfillment of our responsibility to help Iraqis rebuild the country we have so destroyed.

For more information, please contact Jean Stevens, national CODEPINK media coordinator, at 508-769-2138 or Jodie Evans, CODEPINK co-founder, at 310-621-5635.

WASHINGTON — CODEPINK Women for Peace is disheartened by President Obama’s announcement this morning for troop withdrawal by Aug. 2010, later than his campaign promise, leaving residual troops until December 2011.

Americans voted for Obama largely based on his opposition to the war since its start, and his promise to end the occupation in 2009.

“While the move toward withdrawal is positive, this timeline and leaving tens of thousands of residual troops sounds more like occupation-lite than an end to occupation,” said Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK. “But compared to the past eight years of moving backward, at least there’s an atmosphere now where we can continue to apply pressure on the administration to push forward.”

CODEPINK women call on Obama and his administration to immediately withdraw all U.S. troops, including residual forces from Iraq. Instead, the U.S. government should increase efforts in diplomacy, humanitarian aid and refugee resettlement. Continued troop presence will only encourage more armed opposition within Iraq and will not force the Iraqi government and Iraqi factions to negotiate power. In addition, with the continued presence of U.S. troops, the international community will doubt the U.S. commitment to withdrawal and will wait to invest in diplomatic and reconstruction efforts.

“Up to 50,000 troops is a big number to leave behind,” said Dana Balicki, CODEPINK campaign coordinator. “And there hasn’t been any word on military bases left in Iraq that will continue to drain billions of dollars from U.S. taxpayers at a time where that money is very much needed at home. But the withdrawal, and a timeline, is a baby step forward from past policies. As citizens, it’s our job to move Obama to take giant strides.”

For interviews and more information, please call Jean Stevens, national media coordinator, at 646-723-1781.

As Barack Obama is sworn in as President of the United States of America next week, we – as progressives, activists, and organizers – are more mindful than ever of the promises Obama made during his election campaign – as well as the great challenges he has ahead of him.  After nearly six years of war in Iraq, a US policy of torture, a decline in the government’s respect for human rights, and a cowboy policy of ‘diplomacy,’ we are especially mindful of Obama’s promises to:

1. End the war in Iraq
2. Shut Down Guantánamo
3. Reject the Military Commissions Act
4. Stop Torture
5. Work to eliminate nuclear weapons
6. Hold direct, unconditional talks with Iran.
7. Abide by Senate approved international treaties.

When President Franklin Roosevelt was in office, a group of organizers came to him to ask for his support for their cause.  Roosevelt said, “I agree with you.  I want to do it.  Now make me do it.”  We must make Obama do it!  He cannot create this change alone.  We must remind Obama of the promises he made and support him in creating the change we voted for!

CODEPINK has launched a new campaign today at RemindObama.org that does just that.  The new website and video calls for visitors to sign the pledge to support President Obama in his Promises for Peace. It says, “We will be the string around his finger that reminds him to practice what he preaches and deliver the change our country so desperately needs.”

As a symbol of this commitment, CODEPINKers are tying pink ribbons around their finger for Obama.  Tens of thousands of ribbons that read “Obama, Keep your Promises for Peace” will be handed out on the street to supporters at Obama’s Inauguration ceremony next Tuesday.  After the inauguration, these ribbons can be tied around the wrist as a reminder to keep up the work it will take to make change.

In addition, there is a virtual ribbon that can be downloaded at RemindObama.org.  The graphic can be used to change your profile picture on Facebook, MySpace, or other websites.

We should take this moment to celebrate the victory of this last election.  However, Change does not happen on its own.  As activists, volunteers, and bloggers, we need to harness the energy that we have put into the protests, demonstrations, organizing, and volunteering during this election season and the past 8 years, and finish the job!

*  President-Elect Obama, you were elected in large part because of your promise to end the War in Iraq.  Will you sit down with leaders of the peace movement to talk about bringing our troops home?

*  What will you do to find a viable, negotiated solution that ends the violence in Afghanistan and fosters sustainable economic development, women’s rights, healthcare, education and civil society in the region?

Here’s how you can vote:

1.  Go to the Change.gov Open for Questions page
2.  Sign In to your account
3.  Search for the questions using the keyword:  peacevoter
4.  Vote by hitting the checkmark next to each of the questions

After voting, you can also submit your own question for Obama.

Update:  Jodie Evans wrote a piece for Tikkun magazine today to President Obama calling for him to End War Altogether and meet with the peace community.  Check it out here.