$100m allocated for referendum on SOFA

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi government has allocated nearly $100 million U.S. dollars for the referendum on the long-term security agreement with the United States, a government spokesperson said on Monday. “The government has expressed a non-binding desire to reconsider the referendum’s date. It is up to the Parliament to decide on the matter,” Ali al-Dabbagh told IraqiNews.com news agency. “It (the government) has done its part and allocated $100 million U.S. dollars for the public referendum on the agreement,” Dabbagh added. Earlier, the chairman of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said that 60 days are required to hold the referendum on the security agreement with the United States after a law pertaining to the pact is passed. Haidari had submitted a letter to the Iraqi Parliament’s presidency calling for a law that requires a referendum on the security agreement with the United States. A request to allocate a budget for this purpose had also been made. The chairman pointed out that a budget of $90 million U.S. dollars is enough to fund the referendum. On November 27, 2008, the Iraqi Council of Representatives passed a security agreement with the United States, known as the Status-of-Forces Agreement, or SOFA, just 10 days after the Iraqi cabinet approved it with an overwhelming majority. The agreement stipulated that a public referendum should be held in July 2009. SS (S) 1