Sadr to back Maliki if U.S. pact denied

TEHRAN, July 31 (UPI) -- Anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr said Thursday he would back the Iraqi government if it did not sign a security deal with the United States.

Sadr, who is believed to be in Iran furthering his clerical studies, said he would support the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki if it did not sign onto an agreement set to replace the expiring U.N. mandate for Iraq, Press TV reported.

"I call on Iraq's government not to sign this agreement. I inform the government I am ready to support it via the people as well as politically if it does not sign it," the cleric said.

Sadr's political party, the Sadrist Movement, holds 10 seats in the Iraqi Parliament.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Islamic Iraq Council Abdul Aziz al-Hakim said, following a meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad, that the overwhelming majority of the Iraqi people are opposed to a continued U.S. presence.

"Iraqis made a decision to reject the possible deal that violates Iraq's national sovereignty," he said.

The Maliki government suggested a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal as Iraqi military forces continue to show progress in dealing with militants. Hakim noted several Iraqi politicians are seeking to remove Iraq from the current U.N. Chapter VII mandate.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi testified on Capitol Hill last week that Iraq may seek a temporary U.N. Chapter VI mandate that calls for a peaceful settlement of disputes.