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| Iraq |
| US and Iraq complete draft deal on troops |
| 2008-08-21 |
| U.S. and Iraqi negotiators completed a draft deal on Wednesday to give U.S. troops a legal basis to stay in Iraq after 2008, without setting out a timetable for their withdrawal, Iraq's top negotiator said. The White House denied that the long-awaited deal -- which will replace a U.N. Security Council resolution that now provides the basis for the U.S. presence -- had been finalized. "The delegations finished the draft which now goes to the political leaders for discussions," chief Iraqi negotiator Mohammed al-Haj Hamoud told Reuters. Iraq's political leadership must approve it and submit it to parliament. He said the draft did not spell out a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, and also leaves unresolved the thorny question of whether U.S. troops will be subject to Iraqi law. Iraqi officials have said for weeks that the deal is close and they hope to present it to parliament when lawmakers return from the summer recess. But issues such as a timeline for withdrawing troops, their immunity from Iraqi law and the status of prisoners held by U.S. forces, have held up a final deal. Asked about the draft in Washington, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said "discussions with the Iraqis on a bilateral agreement are ongoing." Asked if that meant there was still no deal, he said "Right." |
| Posted by:Fred |