Iraqi lawmakers adjourn session over SOFA

BAGHDAD, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- The Iraqi speaker of Parliament suspended the Wednesday session following disputes between lawmakers and the foreign minister over the U.S. security pact.

Speaker Mahmoud Mashhadani adjourned the session for about an hour Wednesday following heated debates between parliamentarians and Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, the Voices of Iraq news agency reported.

Zebari was before Parliament to answer questions over the bilateral security arrangement, set to replace the expiring U.N. mandate for Iraq, which he signed with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker Monday. Too few lawmakers returned to the session, prompting Mashhadani to adjourn until Thursday.

After nearly a year of negotiations, the Iraqi Cabinet ratified the agreement during the weekend. The Iraqi Parliament is set to vote on the matter Nov. 24. If approved, it proceeds to a three-member presidential council for endorsement before taking force.

The current language of the agreement calls for the complete withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from "Iraqi cities, villages, and localities … no later than June 30, 2009." All U.S. military forces are to leave Iraq no later than Dec. 31, 2011, according to the text of the agreement.