The former Iraqi Premier says the controversial security deal with the US is a disgrace that Iraqis will never accede to.

Ibrahim al-Jafari, the former prime minister and the leader of Iraq's National Reform Party, made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani in Tehran on Monday.

His remarks came as Washington is pushing for signing the so-called Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that would determine a legal framework for the presence of the US forces in Iraq after their UN mandate expires in December 2008 and provide the United States with permanent military bases inside the country.

In another meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Sunday, al-Jafari also reiterated that the security deal with the US would not serve the interests of the Iraqi nation.

Senior Iraqi officials discussed the latest version of the draft agreement at a meeting of Iraq's National Security Council on Sunday but the text received a cold reception.

The United States, however, has been insisting that the pact would ensure full sovereignty of Iraq. US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker had earlier said that "It is an important agreement that fully restores Iraq's sovereignty while allowing US forces to continue for a temporary time to assist Iraqi security forces."

The agreement, which is also fiercely opposed by a majority of the parliamentarians, including lawmakers from the Sadr movement, should go to the National Assembly for a final vote.

On Saturday, thousands of Iraqis, including supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr staged rallies in Baghdad to protest the presence of the US military in their country.

SB/RA/IR