Nouri al-Maliki won support from Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani for a continuing military alliance with the United States.  Sistani endorsed Maliki’s plan for the status-of-forces agreement, support that will help Maliki with key Shi’ite constituencies in the National Assembly.  Al-Sabaah reported the development yesterday, and note the mention of American concessions (via TMV):

Informed sources revealed yesterday to Al-Sabaah that the government received a new draft of the convention on security with the United States two days ago. President Jalal al-Talabani along with the Prime Minister were very clear in pointing out that the United States had made concessions on several points of contention in the agreement. At a press conference in Najaf after his meeting with Grand Ayatollah Sistani, al-Maliki said that talks on the security agreement with the United States are in their final stages, but he acknowledged that there are still points that need research and deliberation, and that “the final review still isn’t complete.”

Regarding the religious authority’s opinion on the agreement, al-Maliki said: “Grand Ayatollah Sistani entrusts Iraqis and their political leaders to decide on what to agree to and rely upon.” Al-Maliki stressed that Ayatollah Sistani, “had no objections to anything we achieve through the efforts of Iraq’s officials and institutions, provided that all segments of the Iraqi people participate and that it is constitutional. In addition, he said that it mustn’t be something imposed on the Iraqi people.”

The Prime Minister revealed some of the progress and positive points that have been made in the ongoing discussions with the United States, notably in regard to limiting the duration of the presence of American forces in Iraq. This will be completely terminated by the end of 2011, and in addition, American forces will be completely withdrawn from Iraq’s cities and towns by the middle of next year [2009].

The need for American concessions became obvious when the Iraqis rejected out of hand the first US proposals on the SOFA.  The nature of those concessions aren’t apparent from this report, but it obviously doesn’t include the American insistence on immunity from Iraqi prosecution for US military personnel.  Maliki mentioned that as an open question while calling the status of the SOFA negotiations “final stages”.

Maliki predicted that an agreement would be reached by the end of the year, and his meeting with Sistani clearly intends to achieve that.  In order to mollify Shi’ite political leaders, who don’t want American troops in Iraq any longer than necessary after our partnership with the Sunnis, Sistani would have to approve of the policy Maliki intends to follow.  He’s plowing the ground, pre-empting any potential opposition to the SOFA at least enough to ensure its passage in the National Assembly once complete.