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| Iraq |
| Negotiators agree on security pact |
| 2008-11-16 |
| BAGHDAD - U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have agreed on a draft of a security pact that would allow American troops to stay in Iraq for three more years after their U.N. mandate expires Dec. 31, a senior aide to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Saturday. The aide said the draft could be put to a Cabinet vote in an emergency meeting Sunday or Monday. Transport Minister Amir Abdul-Jabbar said he had been notified by the Cabinet secretariat that a Cabinet meeting was scheduled for Sunday to vote on the agreement. If adopted by the Cabinet, it would then require parliamentary approval. In Washington, National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe described the final document on the security pact as beneficial to the allied nations. ‘We think this is a good document that serves both Iraqis and Americans well. We remain hopeful that the Iraqi government will conclude this process soon,’ Johndroe said Saturday. The al-Maliki aide said the agreement stood ‘a good chance’ of being passed by a two-thirds majority in the 37-member Cabinet. If adopted by the Cabinet, the agreement goes to a vote in parliament. ‘I can say now that the two sides have agreed on a final draft,’ the aide said. Passage of the agreement in the Cabinet could bode well for how it fares in the 275-seat parliament, where it needs a simple majority to pass, since the political blocs in al-Maliki's government dominate the legislature. |
| Posted by:Steve White |