Times online: Iraq delays vote on US forces - Deborah Hayenes
Iraq delays vote on US forces - Deborah Hayenes
The Iraqi Parliament yesterday delayed a historic vote on the future of US forces in Iraq by 24 hours because of last-minute haggling between different political factions that could end up postponing the decision by another fortnight. As part of the deal-making, MPs agreed to put the US-Iraqi accord, if approved, to a public referendum. The pact sets out a timetable for US troops to leave Iraq within three years after withdrawing from towns and cities by the middle of 2009.Muwafaq al-Rubaie, Iraq’s national security advisor, said: "It is not only the Iraqi Parliament that has a role in overseeing this agreement, but the Iraqi people, who will have a referendum on July 30 so they can see if the agreement is correct or not, six months after it comes into effect."
