Iraqi PM: Security pact with U.S. will not harm Iran

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pushed Iran on Sunday to back off its fierce opposition to a U.S.-Iraqi security pact, Iraqi officials said, as he promised Iranian leaders that Iraq will not be a launching pad for any attack on their country.

The agreement has become a center of contention as Baghdad tries to balance its close ties to both Washington and Tehran. Iran fiercely opposes the deal, fearing it will lead to permanent U.S. bases on its doorstep amid fears of an eventual American attack.

Iran has led a vocal campaign against the deal, with powerful former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani vowing last week that people in Iraq and the region won't allow it. That has led to U.S. accusations that Tehran is actively trying to scuttle the agreement -- putting al-Maliki's government in a tight spot between its two rival allies.

Al-Maliki's visit to Tehran, his second this year, appeared aimed at getting Iran to tone down its opposition and ease criticism within Iraq, where followers of anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr -- who has close ties to Tehran -- have held weekly protests against the deal.

But the security pact also faces strong criticism from members of al-Maliki's own Shiite-dominated coalition. Two Iraqi officials familiar with the negotiations warned on Sunday that a deal is unlikely to be reached before the end of President Bush's term in January unless Washington backs off some demands seen as giving American forces too much freedom to operate in Iraq and infringing on Iraqi sovereignty.

Iraq's parliament must approve the deal, and the two officials said opposition in the legislature was so widespread that it stood no chance of winning approval without significant changes in the U.S. position. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secrecy surrounding the negotiations.

In his talks with Iranian officials, al-Maliki offered assurances that his country is no threat to Iran, according to a statement released by his Baghdad office.

"Iraq, today, does not represent a threat as it was during the former regime because it has become a constitutional country based on the rule of law," the statement quoted him as saying. "Iraq is working on developing its relations with the countries of the region on the basis of mutual understanding and cooperation."