Senior Iraqi cleric, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad al-Modaressi has warned that the US-Iraq pact may lead to an uprising in Iraq.

Speaking to reporters, al-Modarresi depicted the long-term pact with Iraq as a "sword poised over the Iraqis necks."

He said, "The security pact that should be signed between Iraq and the US requires a deep and a comprehensive vision of the general situation in Iraq."

He added, "It will surely fail if kept as it is."

The US government has opened talks with Iraqi officials since March over a long-term treaty, with regard to the UN mandate in Iraq close to an end in December.

A strategic framework pact and status of forces agreement are being negotiated between the US and Iraq authorities. The Americans are seeking 50 full-scale military bases throughout Iraq, immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law for its military and other personnel and the right to arrest Iraqi citizens--conditions no self-respecting sovereign state would dare tolerate.

Al-Modarresi observed that the treaty will raise "a new round of troubles." He said those who support the treaty should take a closer look into history and think of better solutions to end the Iraq imbroglio.

"It is not to the benefit of the US as a major power, to lessen the sovereignty of Iraq. This treaty is humiliating to the Iraqi people, and might cause an uprising against it and those who support it" Modarresi said.

The treaty also has raised major concerns in neighboring countries, in particular Iran, but numerous Iraqi officials have openly stated that the pact would not harm the interests of neighboring states and that Iraq would not be used as a staging ground for an attack against Iran.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maleki is currently visiting Tehran and giving Iranian officials assurances that the final agreement will in no way negatively impact Tehran-Baghdad ties.

Yet without a lasting and overwhelming US military presence in Iraq with every appearance of that country being in effect an American colony, the Bush administration will have nothing to show for its unprovoked war that has now entered its sixth year, cost not less than a million Iraqi lives with projected American spending estimated as ultimately ranging between three to five trillion dollars.

The departure of American troops or their long-term presence is a question that will have a major impact on the entire Middle East and raise enormous security concerns not only for Iraq's immediate neighbors but also for China, Russia and even Pakistan.

Failure to secure a long-term military presence and capitulation rights for its citizens will only highlight the depths of the Bush administration's failure in Iraq. Any success in this sphere is sure to translate into future efforts to destabilize Iraq's neighbors including traditional US allies such as Saudi Arabia while Iran has long been in the crosshairs of devious Washington designs.

MRD/HAR