The Iraqi Parliament approved a security pact with Washington yesterday, setting a timetable for US forces to leave Iraq in three years – but the vote was marred by chants of “no agreement” from MPs who want them out sooner.

Baghdad will now turn its attention to London, with time fast running out to seal a similar deal with the British Government before a United Nations mandate authorising the presence of British forces on Iraqi soil expires at the end of 2008.

After delays and last-minute bargaining, 149 out of 198 MPs present voted for the US-Iraqi Status of Forces agreement and a wider strategic framework, which covers bilateral ties in areas such as science and education.

“This is a historic day for Iraqi and American relations,” Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq’s Foreign Minister, told The Times. “In the end we delivered a solid agreement.” Backed by the main Shia, Sunni and Kurdish blocs, the deal should carry the legitimacy required to satisfy sceptics. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s most influential Shia cleric, has indicated that he will only support the text if it is passed by a broad consensus.

The pact’s passage will be a huge relief for President Bush and Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister, ending nine months of tough negotiations. Speaking in Washington, Mr Bush said that the vote “affirms the growth of Iraq’s democracy and increasing ability to secure itself”.

Barack Obama, the US President-elect, will also welcome the agreement on a framework for the troop withdrawals he has long supported. He has made it clear, however, that he would have preferred a speedier pull-out, to help to shift focus to the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and to avoid further US casualties in Iraq.

His transition team will now be poring over every word of the document to see what it will mean for those soldiers who may remain in Iraq for up to three years after the expiry of the UN mandate on December 31. Mr Obama, a lawyer, will be anxious to see that American troops remaining in the country do not fall foul of Iraqi or international law.

Iraq’s Cabinet approved the pact almost two weeks ago, but it sparked noisy debate when put before MPs. At times it appeared as though the vote would have to be delayed until next month after Sunni politicians said that they would refuse to participate unless additional demands were met.

In the end a compromise was struck, with parliament promising a raft of political reforms at the same time as it passed the security pact. With a show of hands, MPs also agreed to put the US-Iraqi deal to a referendum on July 30.

Hayder al-Abadi, a member of Mr al-Maliki’s Dawa party, said that Iraqis should celebrate the result. “I think it is a great day for Iraq. Iraq can now look forward to recover full control of the country,” he said. “Iraq will almost have full sovereignty from January 1 and we will have the cooperation of the US in various issues.” Not everyone agrees, however.

Hojatoleslam Moqtada al-Sadr, the antiUS Shia cleric, rejected the accord. Some have even given warning of a return to armed resistance should it be approved. MPs loyal to the cleric want US forces to leave Iraq after the UN mandate expires. As the vote was passed, each MP placed a black ribbon over his or her shoulders in a sign of mourning. Teary-eyed Maha al-Douri, a Sadrist MP, said that the decision cemented the occupation. “Iraq was sold. The honour of the Iraqi women was sold,” she said.

Opinion was split among Iraqis in the street, with some applauding the agreement and others condemning it.

Nithal al-Awaadi, 35, a civil servant in Baghdad, was glued to the television set all day with his family, waiting for the live broadcast of the vote. “We are making the first steps towards being free,” he said. “I am happy it was passed. I think the deal will create more jobs and stabilise the situation.”

In contrast, Mustafa al-Hasnawi, a 52-year-old lawyer in the southern city of Basra, was upset at the outcome. “It will send Iraq to prison for life, giving legal cover to the occupation,” he said.

Under the deal US troops will pull out of cities and towns by the middle of next year. The 150,000-strong force will also be under the authority of the Iraqi Government for the first time since the 2003 invasion. Iraq’s Presidency Council must ratify the accord, a move that is seen largely as a rubber-stamping process.

With the hard work over on the US accord, Iraqi negotiators must concentrate on finalising a smaller, less complicated pact with Britain, which has about 4,100 troops largely in the south – a number that is due to be sharply reduced next year.

“Now we will turn our attention there,” said Mr Zebari.

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