Zebari briefs Iraqi lawmakers on SOFA

BAGHDAD, July 1 (UPI) -- Iraqi Foreign Affairs Minister Hoshyar Zebari briefed the Iraqi Parliament Tuesday on the progress of the status of forces agreement with the United States.

The Iraqi Parliament in a statement to Voices of Iraq said Zebari presented Iraqi lawmakers with a progress report on the agreement set to define the U.S-Iraqi military relationship once the U.N. mandate governing Iraq expires in December.

Zebari was in Washington recently to negotiate the provisions of the agreement. Though U.S. lawmakers will not vote on the provision, it requires the ratification of the 275-member Parliament to take effect.

The agreement has become a point of contention among interested parties. Iraqis view the measure as a threat to their sovereignty, while others view it as an attempt to use the country as a base to launch U.S. military operations against Iran.

U.S. State Department officials speaking on condition of anonymity to The Middle East Times, an affiliate of United Press International, said Washington views Iranian influence over Iraqi affairs as mixed, adding, "We are not counting on Iran to pass the SOFA, we are counting on our ability with our Iraqi partners to come up with an agreement that will work."

He added, however, that "nobody has closed the door" on speaking to Iran on a variety of issues.