Iraq To Hold Referendum On US Troops Pact -- AFP
BAGHDAD (AFP) — Iraq plans to hold a July referendum on a controversial military pact allowing US troops to remain for another three years that parliament is expected to adopt on Thursday in a delayed vote.
"It is not only the Iraqi parliament that has a role in overseeing this agreement , but the Iraqi people," the country's top negotiator Muwafaq al-Rubaie told Al-Arabiya television, adding that the referendum would be on July 30.
Rubaie, who also serves as Iraq's national security advisor, spoke to the Dubai-based network shortly after parliament delayed a vote on the pact until Thursday amid a flurry of last-minute talks.
He later insisted that Washington would have to accept the decision to hold the referendum, telling AFP that "it is an Iraqi issue and the Americans have to understand our requirements."
The 275-member assembly had been expected to endorse the agreement on Wednesday, but its approval could have diminished importance if the agreement is subjected to a popular vote seven months after coming into force.
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More News On The Iraq/U.S. Security Agreement
On brink of vote, Iraqi parliament makes new demands -- Christian Science Monitor
A Popular Referendum on the U.S.-Iraq Basing Deal? -- Washington Independent
No deal yet in Iraq parliament on U.S. troop pact -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Iraqi Parliament Delays Vote on U.S. Troop Agreement -- Washington Post
Iraqi parliament delays troop pact vote over unrelated issues -- McClatchy papers
Iraqi factions haggle ahead of US pact vote -- Yahoo News/AP
Iraq delays vote on future of U.S. troops -- CNN
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