Parliamentary session put off until evening

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Parliament has decided to postpone its today’s session until after 06:00 p.m., citing the absence of a consensus on the ‘reform document’ upon which a vote is expected to take place before another on the U.S. troop withdrawal pact, according to a parliamentarian. “Parliamentary blocs have not yet agreed on a final wording of the so-called ‘political reform document’, which has been set by political blocs as a condition to vote on the troop withdrawal agreement,” Abdelhadi al-Hassani from the Unified Iraqi Alliance (UIA) said in a statement to IraqiNews.com. The Iraqi cabinet has endorsed a controversial security pact with the United States, 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 throughout the past months. The pact should determine the legal framework for U.S. troop presence when a UN mandate expires at the end of 2008. SS (P) 1