Iraqi parliament approves US security pact

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Source: CCTV.com | 11-28-2008 09:42

Iraq's parliament has approved a security pact with the United States.

The pact allows US troops to stay in Iraq for three more years. But a bloc of lawmakers loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has rejected the vote.

Iraq's parliament in Baghdad, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008, votes to approves a security pact with the United States that lets American troops stay in the country for three more years - setting a clear timetable for a U.S. exit for the first time since the 2003 invasion.(AP Photo/APTN)

Lawmakers in Iraq's 275-seat parliament passed the pact with a majority of 149 out of 198 present.

The vote was backed by the ruling coalition's Shiite and Kurdish blocs, as well as the largest Sunni Arab bloc.

The deal sets a clear timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal for the first time since the 2003 invasion.

Under the deal, US troops will pull out of Iraqi cities and into bases by the middle of next year, and leave the country fully by the end of 2011.

It will make Iraqi police and troops increasingly responsible for security after years of bloodshed between majority Shi'ites and Sunni Arabs.

The Iraqi government called on those who oppose the pact to accept its validity and cooperate with the majority.

Ali Al-Dabbagh, Iraqi Government Spokesman, said, "This is a democracy. Those who are rejecting, they have to accept now Iraqis should now feel that they have the control and they have to take the full responsibility in the security. At the same time now, we have also to draw a map for our relation(s) with the United States. I think this is very important."

However, shortly after the vote, members of the Sadr parliamentary bloc held a news conference to reject the pact.

Aqeel Abdu Al-Hussein, Member of Sadr Bloc, said, "We declare the pact to be illegitimate. It's not consistent with the constitution. Therefore, it's not a binding pact to the Iraqi people; it's binding only to those who signed it."

But many Iraqis in Baghdad are voicing their support for the pact. They express optimism that it will bring an end to the violence that has plagued the country since 2003.

The pact is expected to boost Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's stature. It allows him to continue to call on US forces to fight violence, while at the same time taking credit for having arranged their eventual withdrawal.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei