Iraq hopes to approve US pact in delayed vote

Iraqi lawmakers on Thursday hoped to approve a wide-ranging military pact that would allow US troops to remain another three years after voting was delayed amid 11th-hour horse-trading.

The 275-member assembly failed to put the measure to a vote on Wednesday as the governing Shiite bloc struggled to cobble together a commanding majority amid Sunni and Kurdish demands that the pact be put to a referendum next year.

The blocs had also demanded a laundry list of political reforms, with Sunnis asking for a clear framework for a new national reconciliation law and the Kurds pressing Baghdad for more regional autonomy.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the negotiations would continue Thursday, with a meeting between MPs from the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), the governing Shiite bloc, and the National Concord Front, the main Sunni bloc.

"There will be meeting between Concord and the UIA at 10:00 am (0700 GMT) to try to solve problems," Dabbagh told AFP.

"The government is ready to listen to all the specific demands but without undermining the constitution. I am optimistic that they will vote today on the agreement."

Dabbagh said the government has agreed to hold a referendum on the accord, but said this would require passing a new law.

"The referendum is not a problem. There will be a vote on July 30. The only thing is that the referendum needs a law because there is nothing in the constitution about the referendum," Dabbagh said.

Iraq and the United States have held a marathon of negotiations over the past 11 months in a bid to nail down an agreement to govern some 150,000 US troops in over 400 bases when their UN mandate expires on December 31.

The accord includes a firm timetable for withdrawal that would have US troops leave all Iraqi cities and towns by the end of June and withdraw completely by the end of 2011.

Senior officials involved in the legislative process insisted most of the demands made over the past few days had little to do with the agreement itself and on Wednesday the speaker of parliament said an agreement was close.

"The general atmosphere indicates there will be an agreement, the leaders have agreed on all the points under discussion except for one," Mahmud Mashhadani said before rescheduling the vote for Thursday.

The White House also said it was still hopeful the accord would be approved.

"It's good for both Iraq and the United States, and so we'll keep an eye on what they are doing and hopefully they'll be able to get it across the goal line," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said Wednesday.

The pact has the support of the UIA, the Kurdish alliance and a number of independent MPs -- enough for it to pass with slightly more than the requisite simple majority of 138 votes.

But deputy parliamentary speaker Khaled al-Attiya said earlier this week the government and the UIA were hoping to assemble a broader coalition in support of the pact, which was approved by Iraq's cabinet more than a week ago.

Iraq won a number of concessions in the deal, including a hard timeline for withdrawal, the right to search US military cargo and the right to try US soldiers for crimes committed while they are off their bases and off-duty.

Baghdad will also gain veto power over virtually every operation launched by US forces once the agreement takes effect, according to the Arabic version of the pact.

The English version has not been made public, and US officials in Washington said there may be a dispute between the two sides over the interpretation of certain parts of the agreement.

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