Iraq

Parliament approves US security pact

Article published on the 2008-11-27 Latest update 2008-11-27 15:38 TU

A US soldier in Baghdad
(Photo: Reuters)

Iraq's parliament has approved a security agreement with the US, after 11 months of negotiation and vociferous opposition by supporters of radical Shia-Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Sunni-Muslim politicians won last-minute concessions from the government, including a promise to put the deal to a referendum in the middle of next year.

The main political and sectarian blocs, including Sunni and Kurdish parties, backed Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government and ensured success for the deal.

Sadr's supporters disrupted the vote by pounding their tables and shouting "Yes, yes to Iraq! No, no to the occupation!" but their 30 votes were not enough to defeat it.

Sunni parties secured political reforms from the government in exchange for the deal, including a promise of a referendum on the agreement next year.

The US swiftly welcomed the decision. The agreement "provides the means to secure the significant security gains we have achieved together and to deter future aggression," Ambassador Ryan Crocker and top commander US General Ray Odierno said in a statement.

"This is a very important agreement. this is one of the most crucial things to happen in Iraq, ever since the American invasion of 2003," said Iraq specialist Patrick Cockburn.

He added that it was also a sign of things to come. "This is a major transformation in Iraq and will determine who holds power there in the next couple of years," said Cockburn.

The Iraqi govenrment has won concessions from Washington, including a timeline of 2011, the right to search US military cargo and the right to try US soldiers for crimes committed when they are off bases and off-duty.

Controversy continues about some sections of the agreement whose English translation has not yet been made  public.

The Arabic version forbids the US to use the country as a launch-pad or transit point for attacking another country. But critics say that another section, which gives the parties the right to act in self-defence, might be used as a get-out clause for attacks on Syria and Iran.

US officials have also hinted that the provision that appears to require the US to notify Iraqi officials in advance of any planned military operations and seek Iraqi approval for them could also be altered.