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.