Al-Mashhadani is against US-Iraqi agreement
In a rare and important interview, conducted by Al-Arabiya, with Dr. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, the head of the Iraqi parliament, he explained how the Iraqi parliament is against signing an agreement with the US.Dr. Al-Mashhadani discussed both the political and procedural aspects of signing the treaty.Technically, the Iraqi parliament is not ready to ratify any international treaties because the "law to ratify international treaties and agreements" has not been approved by the parliament yet. This law is required by the constitution (article 61 paragraph 4), and it requires a 2/3 majority of parliament to approve it. This alone will take months to debate and pass. After that, and according to how the "law to ratify international treaties and agreements" looks like, the Iraqi parliament can start discussing the agreement with the US, and it will most likely need another 2/3 majority approval to pass it. Politically, the majority of Iraq's MPs are against singing any agreements with the US as long as the US is occupying Iraq. It's impossible for the Maliki government to get the approval of a simple majority of MPs, let alone 2/3 majority.I think the US government should consider a different type of agreements with Iraq: an agreement for a complete withdrawal that leaves no troops, no mercenaries, and no permanent bases (and no 5,000 employees embassy either)here is a pretty rough translation of some of Dr. Al-Mashhadani's answers:Dr. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani: the Iraqi constitution determines that the House of Representatives must first enact a law to ratify the Law of Treaties and Agreements, and must vote or pass this law through parliament by two-thirds majority. So before discussing the treaty we must enact this law by two thirds, and then submitted to the Presidency ratified it, and then it will go into effect. As before this law nothing can be done because the parliament not ready yet, according to the constitution, to ratify this agreement. It can only do so after the enactment of this law. This law will take long time to pass due to the two-thirds requirement, so it will not be enacted before the end of this year.Dr. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani: We are constitutionally barred from ratifying any agreements without the enactment of this law and the law has not been enacted so far. After enactment of this law we may introduce the agreement and then it must be ratified by whatever majority decided by the law: it might be absolute majority or it might be two-third majority for important international agreements and an absolute majority of economic accords. The intention now that important international agreements will require two-thirds majority, and economic agreements by absolute majority, and perhaps other charters and accords are by simple majority. So, whatever is included in the law and approved by the parliament.Dr. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani: the negotiating team is not authorizes to take any decision until they go back to Mr. Prime Minister, if he approved it he will send it to the Political Council for National Security, if approved by the Political Council for National Security with two thirds majority, then they can send it to the parliament. The parliament must wait until it enacts the law to ratify international treaties and agreements, then we can submit the US-Iraqi agreement to the parliament after the approval of this law.
In a rare and important interview, conducted by Al-Arabiya, with Dr. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, the head of the Iraqi parliament, he explained how the Iraqi parliament is against signing an agreement with the US.Dr. Al-Mashhadani discussed both the political and procedural aspects of signing the treaty.Technically, the Iraqi parliament is not ready to ratify any international treaties because the "law to ratify international treaties and agreements" has not been approved by the parliament yet. This law is required by the constitution (article 61 paragraph 4), and it requires a 2/3 majority of parliament to approve it. This alone will take months to debate and pass. After that, and according to how the "law to ratify international treaties and agreements" looks like, the Iraqi parliament can start discussing the agreement with the US, and it will most likely need another 2/3 majority approval to pass it. Politically, the majority of Iraq's MPs are against singing any agreements with the US as long as the US is occupying Iraq. It's impossible for the Maliki government to get the approval of a simple majority of MPs, let alone 2/3 majority.I think the US government should consider a different type of agreements with Iraq: an agreement for a complete withdrawal that leaves no troops, no mercenaries, and no permanent bases (and no 5,000 employees embassy either)here is a pretty rough translation of some of Dr. Al-Mashhadani's answers:Dr. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani: the Iraqi constitution determines that the House of Representatives must first enact a law to ratify the Law of Treaties and Agreements, and must vote or pass this law through parliament by two-thirds majority. So before discussing the treaty we must enact this law by two thirds, and then submitted to the Presidency ratified it, and then it will go into effect. As before this law nothing can be done because the parliament not ready yet, according to the constitution, to ratify this agreement. It can only do so after the enactment of this law. This law will take long time to pass due to the two-thirds requirement, so it will not be enacted before the end of this year.Dr. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani: We are constitutionally barred from ratifying any agreements without the enactment of this law and the law has not been enacted so far. After enactment of this law we may introduce the agreement and then it must be ratified by whatever majority decided by the law: it might be absolute majority or it might be two-third majority for important international agreements and an absolute majority of economic accords. The intention now that important international agreements will require two-thirds majority, and economic agreements by absolute majority, and perhaps other charters and accords are by simple majority. So, whatever is included in the law and approved by the parliament.Dr. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani: the negotiating team is not authorizes to take any decision until they go back to Mr. Prime Minister, if he approved it he will send it to the Political Council for National Security, if approved by the Political Council for National Security with two thirds majority, then they can send it to the parliament. The parliament must wait until it enacts the law to ratify international treaties and agreements, then we can submit the US-Iraqi agreement to the parliament after the approval of this law.
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