Ayatollah Sistani: US-Iraq Pact would only be viable if restored the countrys full sovereignty

Source: Agencies, 18-11-2008
Iraq's top Shiite cleric said Tuesday that the U.S.-Iraqi security pact would only be viable if the country's main political groups backed it and it restored the country's full sovereignty.
The comment by Grand Ayatollah Sayed Ali al-Sistani came as the 275-seat parliament prepared for a Nov. 24 vote on the pact, which would allow U.S. occupation troops to stay in Iraq for three more years. If passed by the legislature, it would then require ratification by the president and his two deputies.
Al-Sistani indicated that it could only work if it is passed by a comfortable majority in parliament. His latest comments came in a statement issued by his office in the holy city of Najaf, south of Baghdad.
The Iraqi Cabinet has overwhelmingly approved the pact, meaning prospects of it passing in parliament are good since Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's coalition partners dominate the legislature.
The statement said al-Sistani wanted the agreement to secure the "restoration of full sovereignty and the realization of Iraq's stability and security." It also quoted him as saying that he wanted it to "win the support of all Iraqis and their main political groups".
"Any agreement that does not meet those two demands ... cannot be accepted," said al-Sistani, who called on lawmakers to "rise to their historic responsibility before God and the people."
The agreement authorizes the presence of US occupation troops in the war ravaged Iraq. It also gives the Iraqis limited judicial powers over American soldiers and defense contractors in the case of serious crimes committed off-base and off-duty.
Parliament can only reject or pass the agreement, since the document was officially signed by the two nations and cannot be changed unless negotiations reopen, which is highly unlikely with less than six weeks left before the expiration of the U.N. mandate.