|
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s national security council has asked Prime Minister
Nuri al-Maliki to ensure that a pact under discussion to extend the
US troop presence beyond 2008 will not harm the national interest.
Washington and Baghdad are holding negotiations
on a Status of Forces Agreement aimed at giving a legal basis to the
US troops after December 31, when a UN mandate defining the current
status of foreign forces expires.
“The Political Council for National Security
recommended continuing negotiations between the two sides to reach a
result that is satisfactory to the people of Iraq and does not harm
its interests,” a government statement said.
The council, headed by President Jalal Talabani,
said the negotiations covered a wide spectrum of subjects including
security, economic, political and military issues, but did not give
details of progress so far.
US President George W. Bush and Maliki signed a
non-binding statement of principles in November for the
negotiations, which began in March with the aim of concluding a pact
by the end of July.
There are currently about 150,000 US troops
deployed in Iraq, which was invaded by US-led forces in March 2003.
The proposed pact has come under fire from
religious and political leaders both in Iraq and in neighboring
Iran.
“This agreement is against Islam,” said
Salah al-Obeidi, spokesman for the powerful Iraqi anti-American
Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. “There is no religious basis for an
agreement like this.”
Fighters from Sadr’s Mahdi army militia fought
deadly street battles with US forces in the Shiite slum bastion of
Sadr City in Baghdad for seven weeks until a May 10 truce deal took
effect.
Iraq’s top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali
al-Sistani is yet to publicly comment, but an aide said he has
called for the authorities to have a public debate on the issue.
“He has always expected the officials to
consult the people before taking a decision,” the aide said. “If
the majority of the people accept it, then they should go ahead.”
When the Bush-Maliki statement was announced in
November, a host of Sunni groups also voiced their opposition,
warning that it would give the Americans the right to
“interfere” in Iraq for years to come.
Last week, a senior cleric in Iran also slammed
the proposed accord as treachery to Islam, charging that it would
allow US troops to launch attacks from Iraq, stop Iraqi courts from
trying US nationals, and put Iraqi ministries under US supervision.
Iran strongly opposes the US military presence
in its western neighbor, and has been repeatedly accused by
Washington of arming and training Shiite militias in Iraq,
particularly Sadr’s Mahdi Army.
Tehran denies the allegations and says it backs
Maliki’s Shiite-led government.
On Saturday, the US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan
Crocker visited the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, both key
centers for Shiites from around the world, and held talks with local
leaders.
-- AFP
|
