Current SOFA draft doesn’t satisfy Iraqis’ ambition- MP

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: An independent parliamentarian on Sunday said that the current draft of the U.S. troop withdrawal agreement does not satisfy Iraqis’ ambition. “The security pact between Baghdad and Washington, in its current form, is incapable of satisfying the ambitions of the Iraqi people,” Hussein al-Falluji told IraqiNews.com. “Closing the door on amendments is a wrong choice,” Falluji added. 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)/SR 1