Sistani: SOFA must respect sovereignty
Iraq's top Shiite Muslim cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani says that controversial US military pact (SOFA) must respect Iraqi sovereignty.
"The Guide (Sistani) called for general elections which produced the country's government and the parliament," a religious official close to Sistani told AFP on condition of anonymity. "It is their constitutional responsibility to decide on the agreement."
"The Guide has not received a copy of the agreement and is not going to intervene on its components. He has only received the key points, and the rest is for those who will make the decision," the official said.
"But if the agreement touches the sovereignty of Iraq the Guide will intervene and make his opinion clear," he added.
Mean while, as the Iraqi cabinet prepares to vote on a security agreement with the US, the most vocal opponent of the pact, Moqtada al-Sadr, reiterated his call for armed resistance.
"I repeat my demand to the occupier to leave our land without keeping bases or signing agreements," the statement said. "If they keep bases, then I would support honorable resistance," al-Sadr said in a statement read out to thousands of supporters at Friday prayers.
The fire***** cleric has consistently been an opponent of the controversial security pact, known as the Status of Forces Agreement or SOFA, between Baghdad and Washington, which would govern the activity of US military forces in Iraq after their UN mandate expiry at the end of the year.
The draft agreement, which awaits the cabinet's approval before finding its way into the Iraqi parliament, allows American troops to stay in Iraq until the end of 2011.
The government led by Premier Nuri al-Maliki, has been seeking amendments to the draft agreement to meet the concerns of many Iraqi leaders and a populace fearful the accord would compromise upon and threaten the country's sovereignty.
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