Iran backs referendum on U.S.-Iraqi pact

TEHRAN, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Iran respects any decision made by the Iraqi people regarding the security pact setting the framework for a U.S. troop withdrawal, officials said Monday.

The Iraqi Parliament Thursday passed a bilateral pact that outlines the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the country by 2012. The provision passed when lawmakers agreed to Sunni demands to put the matter before a public referendum in 2009.

Hassan Qashqavi, the spokesman for the Iranian foreign minister, said Monday that Iran would respect the results of the referendum, adding the matter was sanctioned best by public opinion as expressed at the polling stations, the official Islamic Republic News Agency said.

His comments echo the sentiments of Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the leading Shiite cleric in Iraq. Sistani, whose influence looms over many Iraqi decisions, said he was concerned over several elements of the U.S.-Iraqi agreement but would let the people determine the fate of the accord in a vote slated for July 30.