Iraq

Thousands oppose US troop agreement

Article published on the 2008-11-21 Latest update 2008-11-21 16:01 TU

The crowd in Baghdad's Firdoos Square
(Photo: Reuters)

Thousands of Iraqis demonstrated in Baghdad on Friday against the proposed agreement on the presence of US troops in their country. The Status of Forces Agreement (Sofa) is due to be discussed by Parliament next week, after being accepted by the cabinet last Sunday.

The crowd filled the central Firdoos Square and hung an effigy of US President George Bush in the place where a statue of deposed President Saddam Hussein stood before the US-led invasion.

Sadrist sheikh Abelhadi al-Mohammedawi, led the protestors in Friday prayers before reading a statement from Sadr, who is believed to be in Iran.

"If they don't leave the country I am going to be with you to make them leave in a way that suits you, as long as it doesn't go against the religion," the statement said.

"And if they leave the country and you fear that the enemy coming from outside will transform your land into a battlefield, I and my followers will be a shield for Iraq."

The organisers had called on Sunnis and Shia to attend the demonstration and Sunni imam Quteiba al-Nadawi led the crowd in chants of "Yes, yes to unity! Yes, yes to Iraq! No to submission! No to this agreement!"

But reporters say that most of the crowd appeared to be Shia.

Speakers at the rally pointed out that President-elect Barack Obama promised to pull US troops out withing 16 months, while the Sofa accord proposes keeping them there for three years.

"It’s clear there’s a lot of anger and discontent among a lot of Iraqis, mostly from the Sadr area [of Baghdad] from the Shia community," says London-based analyst Robert Lowe.

But, he adds, the Sadrists do not have enough MPs to block it.

"It’s unlikely that Moqtada al-Sadr can stop this in Parliament," Lowe told RFI. "It seems very probable that the government and its supporters will be able to pass this."