Iraq's Grand Ayatollah warns from uprising against US security pact

Jun 8, 2008, 14:09 GMT

Baghdad - Iraq's senior Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Mohamed al-Modaresy, warned on Sunday that the US-Iraq security pact might cause an uprising in Iraq.

Al-Modaresy described the long-term treaty with the US as a 'sword directed over the Iraqis necks,' during a meeting with reporters.

'The security pact that should be signed between Iraq and the US requires a deep and a comprehensive vision to the general situation in Iraq,' al-Modaresy told reporters.

He added: 'It will deem to failure if kept as it is.'

With its UN mandate in Iraq set to expire in December, the US government has been involved since March in length negotiations with Iraq over a long-term treaty.

Two agreements are being negotiated. One, known as the strategic framework agreement, would lay out the basis for long-term bilateral relations in the political, economic and security areas.

The other, the status of forces agreement, sets the legal basis for the presence of US troops in Iraq and spells out the legal rights and obligations of the troops.

The treaty should be signed by July.

The senior Shiite cleric stressed that the pact threatens Iraq with the UN mandate and will trigger ' a new round of troubles'.

Al-Modaresy said that those who support the treaty should have a closer look to history and think of effective solutions to solve Iraq's problems.

'It is not for the benefit of the US as a major power, to lessen the sovereignty of Iraq. This treaty is humiliating to the Iraqi people, and might cause an uprising against it,' al-Modaresy said.

As US and Iraq scramble to proceed with their negotiations over the agreement, Iraqis are alarmed by how much military authority the US will have over their country in the future.

Politicians are also concerned the treaty is raising alarm in neighbouring countries, especially Iran, which US perceives as destabilizing the regions' security.