Maliki Defends U.S.-Iraq Deal To Public, Criticizes Opposition

Supporters of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr demonstrate against the U.S. status-of-forces pact in Baghdad's Shiite stronghold, Sadr City, on Friday. The deal has been approved by the Iraqi cabinet and will now be put to a vote in parliament. If it passes, U.S. forces would be allowed to stay in Iraq after the expiration of a U.N. mandate Dec. 31. (By Khalid Mohammed -- Associated Press)

Opposition to the accord has been led by the bloc of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, which has 30 members in the 275-seat parliament. Sadr's movement has called for a demonstration against the accord in Baghdad on Friday.

The secular Iraqi National List party of Ayad Allawi, which has 20 seats, has also been cool toward the accord, with its lawmakers saying they prefer an extension of the U.N. mandate. The main Sunni coalition is uneasy about a provision authorizing U.S. assistance in fighting former members of Saddam Hussein's government, said Omar Abdul Sattar, a lawmaker from the group, which has 40 seats. It is seeking guarantees that the language would apply only to extremists, he said.

The office of Iraq's most revered Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, issued a statement Tuesday saying that any agreement on ending the U.S. presence that "does not enjoy national consensus would be unacceptable."

The statement sought to clarify news media reports that Sistani had approved of the security pact. His aides said Saturday that the cleric had received a delegation of Shiite political leaders, including two Maliki aides, and that he had determined that the agreement did not violate Iraqi sovereignty.

But the statement said Sistani believed each lawmaker should "express his opinion on this subject clearly and in accordance with what his faith and conscience dictate."

Sistani has been careful to refrain from any appearance that he is meddling in politics. His influence is so great that his disapproval could torpedo the accord.

Separately, the Iraqi government set Jan. 31 as the date for provincial elections that U.S. authorities see as key to greater reconciliation. Sunni Arabs, who make up about 20 percent of the population, largely boycotted the last provincial elections in 2005 after the toppling of Hussein's Sunni-led government.

Special correspondents Qais Mizher and K.I. Ibrahim in Baghdad and Saad Sarhan in Najaf contributed to this report.