BAGHDAD, June 19, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Eighty two Iraqi lawmakers from across the political spectrum have pressed for the withdrawal of the US-led occupation troops from their country.

The Shiite, Kurdish, Sunni Arab, Christian and communist legislators made the call in a letter sent by Falah Hassan Shanshal of the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), the largest bloc in parliament, to speaker Hajem Al-Hassani, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“We have asked in several sessions for occupation troops to withdraw. Our request was ignored,” read the latter, made public on Sunday, June 19.

There are currently about 160,000 foreign troops in Iraq, including 138,000 American forces.

There are also 15,000 mercenaries from private military firms operating in Iraq, the second largest force outnumbering even the US biggest ally Britain, according to the estimation of Peter Singer, author of Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry.

The letter stressed that the 275-member parliament is the legitimate representative of the Iraqi people and guardian of their interests, censuring the government for leaving the people in the dark.

“It is dangerous that the Iraqi government has asked the UN Security Council to prolong the stay of occupation forces without consulting representatives of the people who have the mandate for such a decision,” it said.

“Therefore we must reject the occupation's legitimacy and renew our demand for these forces to withdraw,” it added.

The UN Security Council agreed on May 31 to extend the mandate of US-led forces in Iraq “until the completion of the political process” following a request from the Iraqi government represented in its Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.

The government action drew fire from Iraq's main Sunni religious authority, the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS), which said that it turned the “forced occupation” into an “occupation urged”.

Bush rejected increasing calls to set up a withdrawal timetable. (Reuters)

In their letter, the Iraqi legislator also demanded a clear timetable for the withdrawal of the occupation troops.

Though facing increasing domestic pressure to set such a timetable, US President George W. Bush on Saturday, June 18, rejected withdrawal calls.

“The mission isn't easy, and it will not be accomplished overnight,” he said in his weekly radio address.

A congressional resolution proposed this week calls on the Bush administration to develop a strategy for removing all US troops from Iraq and to begin the withdrawal by October 2006. Two Republicans are among its backers.

Recent opinion polls indicated that almost six in 10 Americans want at least a partial pullout.

US and British dailies reported last month that the US army in Iraq was planning to set up four permanent bases in Iraq.