Iraqi Shiites burn Bush effigy to protest US pact

Thousands of followers of a popular Shiite cleric protested a proposed U.S.-Iraqi security deal Friday, burning an effigy of President Bush in the same square where Iraqis beat a toppled Saddam Hussein statue five years ago. Chanting and waving flags, Moqtada al-Sadr's followers filled Firdous Square to protest the pact that would allow American troops to stay for three more years. The demonstration followed two days of protests in parliament by al-Sadr loyalists who disrupted readings of the proposed agreement ahead of a debate and vote. Despite the opposition of at least three small parliamentary factions, the pact is expected to pass in the Shiite-led parliament when it comes up for a vote next week. Al-Sadr, who controls a group of 30 lawmakers in the 275-seat parliament, views the deal as a surrender to U.S. interests. But supporters say the pact will eventually lead to full sovereignty. If al-Sadr's group and other legislators opposed to the pact lose by a thin margin, they might attempt to turn their anti-American message into a defining issue in provincial elections on Jan. 31 and general elections late in 2009. Al-Sadr, believed to be in Iran, was not at the protest, though his representative read a sermon he wrote that called the U.S. "the enemy of Islam." "The government must know that it is the people who help it in the good and the bad times. If it throws the occupier out, all the Iraqi people will stand by it," the sermon read, using common rhetoric for the United States. Al-Sadr reiterated that his followers in both his movement's armed and peaceful factions will continue to work for the removal of U.S. forces. The protesters placed the Bush effigy on the same pedestal where U.S. Marines toppled the ousted dictator's statue in one of the iconic images of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The effigy held a sign that described the pact as "shame and humiliation." After a mass prayer, demonstrators pelted the Bush effigy with plastic water bottles and sandals. One man hit it in the face with his sandal. The effigy fell head first into the crowd and protesters jumped on it before setting it ablaze. The uproar this week suggests that the security pact could remain divisive as the country struggles for reconciliation after years of war. For Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa party and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, its senior government partner, the margin of support is almost as important as the victory itself. A narrow passage will cast doubt on the legitimacy of the new terms governing the U.S. troop presence. Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said the deal would be acceptable only if approved by a wide margin in parliament. Al-Sistani enjoys enormous influence among Iraq's Shiite majority. Al-Sadr's movement's popularity suffered with the involvement of some militiamen in protection and black market rackets as well as the general fatigue from the on-and-off fighting. But the movement has retained a loyal base of support in Baghdad and across much of the Shiite south of Iraq, largely because of its nationalist credentials and the perceived failure of rival Shiite parties to improve services in provinces under their control. The Sadrists' opposition to the agreement however was likely to win it support in a country where the U.S. presence is seen as an occupation. Security was tight for Friday's protest, with the area closed to traffic and heavily guarded by Iraqi soldiers in Humvees. Army snipers took positions on rooftops overlooking the square. The Sadrists also provided their own security, searching worshippers as they approached the square. The protesters included two Sunni clerics. Many arrived at the square on foot or by bus and carried prayer rugs, pieces of cardboard or newspapers for the mass prayer. They waved Iraqi flags and green Shiite banners, chanting, "No, no to the agreement of humiliation!" If the agreement passes the legislature, it will go to the president and his two deputies for ratification. Each one has veto power.