After receiving the cabinet's approval this past weekend, the Iraqi parliament is expected to pass the long-debated security pact sometime over the next few days. Disagreement has centered on the concept of security vs. sovereignty, i.e. should security, which would be helped with an extended US military presence in Iraq, take precedence over an ‘unoccupied’ Iraq?
Al-Jazeera English highlighted the issue in a recent episode of “Inside Story”.
Muqtada Al-Sadr's office issued a statement on Monday (pasted below) denouncing the agreement. In it, Al-Sadr states his party's regret over the cabinet's approval of the pact (described as a pretext for American hegemony), and their hopes that the issue will be discussed in parliament with Iraq's future in mind.
Today in parliament, representatives of Al-Sadr's movement 'scuffled’ with supporters of the agreement during a parliamentary debate. Since the pact first became a topic of discussion, the Shiite Sadrist bloc has been a strong adversary of the initiative.
If public opinion sways against the pact, the Sadrists could use such discontent for political momentum in future elections.
