 "Photo: Karim Kadim, The Associated Press")
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Cabinet overwhelmingly approved a security pact with the United States on Sunday, ending prolonged negotiations to allow American forces to remain for three more years in the country they first occupied in 2003.
The deal detailing the conditions of the U.S. presence still needs parliamentary approval, and lawmakers could vote as soon as Nov. 24. For Iraqis, the breakthrough was bittersweet because they won concessions from the Americans but must accept the presence of U.S. troops until 2012.
“It’s the best possible, available option,” said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh. He was referring to the conflict between Iraq’s desire for full sovereignty and control over security and its need for American support and cooperation to achieve that goal.
Al-Dabbagh described the pact — intended to supplant the U.N. mandate expiring Dec. 31 — as an “agreement on the withdrawal of U.S. troops,” and Washington welcomed the Cabinet’s approval.
“While the process is not yet complete, we remain hopeful and confident we’ll soon have an agreement that serves both the people of Iraq and the United States well and sends a signal to the region and the world that both our governments are committed to a stable, secure and democratic Iraq,” said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House’s National Security Council.
There is a good chance parliament will pass the agreement with a large majority, since the parties that make up Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition government dominate the legislature.
The pact was to be completed by July end, but negotiations stumbled over parts pertaining to Iraqi sovereignty and judicial oversight.
Al-Dabbagh said Iraq’s government has received U.S. assurances that President-elect Barack Obama would honor the agreement and pointed out that each side has the right to repeal it after giving one year’s notice. Obama, who takes office in January, has said he would pull U.S. combat troops out of Iraq within 16 months of moving into the White House — or May 2010.
Iraq’s neighbors and U.S. adversaries, Iran and Syria, oppose the pact, arguing the immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces offered the best option for Iraq.
The Iraqi government sought to allay their fears, amending the document to prohibit the Americans from using Iraqi territory to attack neighboring nations.
The Cabinet’s decision was made amid violence, despite a dramatic improvement in security over the past year. Fresh attacks underlined doubts about whether Iraq’s nascent security forces can stand without U.S. military support and training.
Hours after the Cabinet vote, seven people died and seven were wounded in a suicide car bombing at a police checkpoint in Diyala, a turbulent province northeast of Baghdad, according to police Col. Ahmed Khalifa, chief of Jalula police station.
The U.S. military said the attack in Jalula occurred at a police station, and four police and six civilians died. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy in the reports.
Earlier Sunday, a roadside bomb killed three people and wounded seven in northern Baghdad, Iraqi authorities said.
Al-Dabbagh said all but one of 28 Cabinet ministers present in Sunday’s meeting, in addition to al-Maliki, voted for the pact. The sole vote of dissent came from Minister of Women’s Affairs Nawal al-Samaraie, a member of the Iraqi Islamic Party, the country’s largest Sunni Arab party.
She said she voted against the pact because she preferred that it be put to a referendum across the nation.
The Cabinet vote followed Washington’s decision last week to grant a request by the Iraqi president for final amendments.
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