Iraqi Parliament approves security pact with U.S.

A wide majority votes for the agreement, which would have U.S. troops out by the end of 2011

BAGHDAD -- With a substantial majority, the Iraqi parliament ratified a sweeping security agreement Thursday that sets the course for an end to the U.S. role in the war and marks the beginning of a new relationship between the countries.

The pact, which still must be approved by Iraq's three-person presidency council, a move expected in the next few days, sets the end of 2011 as the date by which the last U.S. troops must leave the country.

It passed on a vote of 149-35, according to a parliamentary statement.

The vote, held above the din of detractors shouting, "No!" and bashing books and binders on desks, followed intense negotiations among the nation's Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds that portend fierce political battles, the Los Angeles Times reported.

After notable failures on some critical issues, including a law to divide oil revenues and another to determine the future of the disputed city of Kirkuk, the vote Thursday represented a coming of age for the three-year-old parliament.

"This is the day of our sovereignty," said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "Together we will go forward toward a free, prosperous and glorious Iraq, where Iraqis can live with pride and dignity and can be proud that they are sons of this beloved country."

The Cabinet approved the final version of the security agreement Nov. 16. Since then, the government has furiously worked to gain approval of the measure, which goes into effect Jan. 1, when the U.N. mandate that currently governs U.S. troop operations in the country expires.

In sharp contrast to the atmosphere during the drafting of Iraq's constitution in 2005, there was relatively little violence on the streets during the parliamentary negotiations, despite intense and sometimes contentious debates. Within the halls of parliament, Shiite clerics in swirling robes and turbans and women in long black abayas huddled in consultation with secular Sunnis and Kurds in tailored suits. There was far less of the intense mutual distrust that defined the discussions three years ago.

President George W. Bush expressed his congratulations.

"Today's vote affirms the growth of Iraq's democracy and increasing ability to secure itself," Bush said in a statement. "Two years ago, this day seemed unlikely -- but the success of the surge and the courage of the Iraqi people set the conditions for these two agreements to be negotiated and approved by the Iraqi parliament."

The security agreement and an accompanying document that outlines America's relationship with Iraq in areas like economics, health care and education, would grant Iraq considerable authority over U.S. troop operations, requiring court orders to search buildings and detain suspects.

It also sets out a timetable requiring U.S. troops to withdraw from cities and towns by June 30 and for all troops to leave the country by the end of 2011 unless the Iraqis and Americans negotiate a separate pact to extend the U.S. military presence. President-elect Barack Obama campaigned under a promise to withdraw all U.S. combat brigades from Iraq by May 2010 but set no date for a complete withdrawal.