BAGHDAD (AFP) — Iraq's supreme Shiite religious authority Ali Husseini al-Sistani on Saturday expressed concern about a military pact approved by lawmakers that would allow US troops to remain another three years.
An aide to the reclusive cleric -- who rarely appears in public, preferring to communicate through close associates -- said Sistani feared the controversial agreement would sow "instability" in the war-torn country.
"The guide expressed his concern about the agreement for several reasons. First, there was no national consensus on it, and that it will cause instability in the country," the aide told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The wide-ranging agreement contains a roadmap for US combat forces to withdraw from all Iraqi cities and towns by the end of June 2009 and to pull out of the country completely by the end of 2011.
Iraq's parliament approved the deal Thursday with the backing of the main political blocs representing Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds, but it was condemned by followers of the hardline Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
And the bill was passed only after the Shiite-led government agreed to Sunni and Kurdish demands for a popular referendum to be held on the agreement no later than July 30.
Sistani's aide said the cleric -- who ahead of the vote had said it was up to Iraq's elected leaders to decide on the pact -- supported the referendum.
"The guide will leave the accepting or rejecting of the agreement to the Iraqi people through the referendum that will be held within seven months."
Either country can unilaterally terminate the agreement with one year's notice, so if the referendum leads to the cancelling of the agreement US troops could be forced to withdraw as early as the summer of 2010.
Sistani -- a spiritual authority who rarely intervenes in politics -- has steered away from commenting on the contents of the deal, insisting only that it must preserve Iraq's "sovereignty."
But on Saturday, his aide warned that the pact contained "no guarantee that Iraq will have its sovereignty recognised by other countries," without providing further details.
The agreement was to be sent on Sunday to Iraq's presidential council, which would then have 10 days to reject it. If the three-man body representing Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds takes no action the bill would become law.
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