Tehran to announce opinion on security deal after final approval

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said on Wednesday that Tehran will announce its opinion regarding the Iraqi-U.S. security deal after the final approval in Iraq. Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Qashqavi as saying that Tehran will announce its opinion on the Iraqi-U.S. security pact after the final approval in Iraq. “Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani had issued a statement in this regard and several Iraqi political figures expressed their personal views on the agreement,” he said. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr had announced rejection of the pact, considering it as a consolidation of the U.S. occupation. The Iraqi cabinet endorsed the controversial pact, also known as the status-of-forces agreement (SOFA), by an overwhelming majority of 27 votes to 1. The Iraqi and U.S. sides have been negotiating a long-term security deal during the past months. The pact should determine the legal framework for the U.S. presence in Iraq after the end of this year, when the international mandate granted by the UN Security Council to the U.S. army to intervene in Iraq is due to expire. SH (S) 1