Opposition mounts to U.S.-Iraqi pact

BAGHDAD, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- The Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq joined a chorus of voices in opposition to the bilateral security accord between Washington and Baghdad.

The influential AMSI "strongly denounced" the security agreement that calls for the withdrawal of U.S. troops by the end of 2011.

Washington and Baghdad ended nearly a year of negotiations over the bilateral security pact that will define the U.S. military mission in Iraq from 2009. The measure still requires the approval of the Iraqi Parliament before taking force, and the Muslim Scholars warned lawmakers against moving ahead with any agreement with Washington.

In a statement on its Web site, the AMSI said the Iraqi government was complicit in the occupation of Iraq and blamed Baghdad for allowing Washington to hijack the central government and continue its policies of oppression.

The statement continued, saying the need for such agreements would end once the Iraqi resistance succeeds in liberating "Iraq from the clutches of the hateful occupation."

Meanwhile, Ahmed al-Masoud, a spokesman for the Sadrist Movement of anti-American cleric Moqtada Sadr said the endorsement of the security agreement was meaningless without the support of the Iraqi Parliament, adding "a large number of lawmakers" were opposed to the measure, the Iranian Press TV said.