AL envoy, Shiite cleric meet on regional issues

NAJAF / IraqiNews.com: The representative of the secretary general of the Arab League, Hani Khalaf, on Saturday met with top Shiite Cleric Ali al-Sistani in Najaf city to discuss a number of issues related to the Arab world and the Middle East. “We tackled the Iraqi situation in the coming stage,” Khalaf said during a press conference held in Najaf city and attended by IraqiNews.com, following his meeting with Sistani. When asked about the Arab League’s stance on the security agreement that is scheduled to take place between Iraq and the United States, Khalaf said that the organization has not been consulted on the deal. The U.S. and Iraqi governments are currently negotiating a security pact that would regulate the presence of foreign troops in the country after 2008. A declaration of principles was signed between U.S. President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in December 2007. The declaration was scheduled to be ratified on July 31, 2008 and to come into force as of January 1, 2009. The agreement governs the presence of U.S. forces in the country after 2008 and will not come into force without the approval of the Iraqi Parliament, which has 275 members from five blocs, in addition to the Sadrist movement and al-Fadhila party. The U.S. troops’ presence currently relies on a mandate by the United Nations and is annually renewed at the request of the Iraqi government. SS (S) 1