Iraqi Parliament Delays Vote on Security Pact until Thursday
By VOA News
26 November 2008
Iraq's speaker of parliament says lawmakers have delayed a vote on a long-awaited security pact with the United States until Thursday.
The vote was scheduled Wednesday on the deal to allow U.S. troops to remain in Iraq for another three years, but political factions have been wrangling over some of the conditions.
Parliamentary speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani says he still believes there will be an agreement. He did not elaborate on the reasons for the delay.
Iraqi Shi'ite and Kurdish parties are believed to have enough votes to secure narrow passage of the pact in the 275-member assembly. But they are urging parliament's main Sunni faction, the Iraqi Accordance Front, to back the deal to give it greater legitimacy.
The Sunni faction is demanding political reforms giving it a greater say in political decisions. It also wants the security pact to be put to a national referendum.
Members of the ruling Shi'ite coalition say they are willing to hold a national referendum on the security pact next year.
Once approved, the security pact will replace the United Nations mandate for the U.S. military presence in Iraq. That mandate expires on December 31.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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