IAF will not vote on pact without reformation document – MP

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Lawmaker Abdul Kareem al-Samaraee from the Iraqi Accord Front (IAF) on Wednesday said that his bloc will not attend the parliament’s session today which will vote on the Iraqi-U.S. security pact, if there would be no agreement on the reformation document, which contains the blocs’ demands. “Discussions are still underway between political blocs to reach an accepted document,” al-Samaraee told IraqiNews.com. “The document aims at reforming the political process,” he said. The IAF occupies 38 out of 275 seats in Iraq ‘s council of representatives. Parliament will hold a session today to vote on the agreement after completing the first and second readings, as well as other discussions over it. The Iraqi cabinet last week had approved with an overwhelming majority of 27 votes to one the security pact between Iraq and the United States , also known as the status of forces agreement (SOFA), and was referred to Parliament for voting. SOFA will replace a United Nations mandate governing the U.S. presence in Iraq , due to expire on Dec. 31, and has been agreed on by the Bush administration. Under the proposed agreement, U.S. troops will exit Iraqi towns and cities by the middle of 2009, and the entire country by the end of 2011. The law also curbs U.S. powers to detain Iraqi citizens and conduct military operations. SOFA had drawn wide-scale local popular and political controversy after the cabinet endorsed it on last week, particularly from the Sadrist bloc of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr. In accordance with the Iraqi constitution, SOFA cannot be effective before the parliament approves it. MH (S) / SH 1