Iraq’s parliament will vote on Wednesday on a proposed pact that would allow US troops to stay in Iraq for three more years. The government struggled to defend the deal, even warning that a hasty US withdrawal could open the way for piracy in the Persian Gulf.
Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani said a vote could be held earlier if the Shiite-led ruling coalition and other political groups reached an understanding, though a contentious, six-hour debate in the parliament on Saturday suggested that would be hard to attain. Al-Mashhadani, a Sunni Arab, rated chances that the deal would pass as “50-50.”
That assessment was a harsh one for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who needs a wide margin of approval to ensure the deal’s legitimacy. Failure to do that could deepen antagonism among Iraq’s political factions, which are heavily based on ethnic and sectarian loyalties.
PHOTO: AP
The security pact emerged from nine months of tough talks between US and Iraqi negotiators, and the Iraqi Cabinet approved it a week ago on the grounds that it provided a clear timetable for the withdrawal of US forces after more than five years of war.
But many Iraqis see the US presence as a smear on national sovereignty, even if some believe it is needed for now to combat a lingering insurgency. In the 275-seat parliament, the security pact has become a flash point for attacks on al-Maliki in what could be a campaign warm-up before provincial elections on Jan. 31 and general elections late next year.
Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi said the deal was necessary because the premature departure of US troops would expose Iraqis to serious security threats such as al-Qaeda in Iraq, but he also mentioned the danger of piracy in the Persian Gulf.
A hasty pullout “would allow what is happening in the Gulf of Aden ... to happen to us here,” said al-Obeidi, noting the Iraqi navy did not have the resources to operate effectively at this time.
The navy only has patrol boats.
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