Sadr Ties Disarmament to US Pullout

Source: Alalam.ir, 8-8-2008
BAGHDAD--Senior Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr vowed to disarm his Mahdi Army provided that a security pact between Baghdad and Washington provides for a withdrawal from Iraq.
Salah al-Obeidi, chief spokesman for the Sadr movement, said: "We want to see whether the provisions of the agreement are serious. We will be satisfied if the agreement contains the withdrawal of US forces."
Baghdad and Washington are still in negotiations on an agreement that would govern US troops levels and allow them to operate after a UN mandate expires at the end of the year.
US President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki agreed in principle last November to sign a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) in Iraq by the end of July, but controversy has delayed the arrangement.
The proposed pact has drawn sharp criticism from Iraq's various political factions, especially from Sadr and his 60,000 strong army.
Maliki said last month that he was negotiating for the deal to set a timetable for a withdrawal of foreign forces.
Iraqi politicians have bristled at the duration of any continuing defense pact with the US.
They have also expressed reservations about how many bases Washington should retain, what powers the US military should continue to hold to detain Iraqi civilians, and what immunity US troops should have from US law.
Currently there are about 142,500 US troops in Iraq.