Iraqi FM: Iraq, US 'Very Close' on Security Deal

Iraqi FM: Iraq, US 'Very Close' on Security Deal

Sunday, August 10, 2008 10:08 AM EDT
The Associated Press
By HAMID AHMED Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. and Iraqi negotiators are "very close" to reaching a long-term security pact that will decide the fate of American troops in Iraq, the foreign minister said Sunday.

A series of bombings, meanwhile, targeted Iraqi security forces and civilians nationwide, killing at least nine people and wounding dozens, including the commander of Kurdish forces in a town near the Iranian border.

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the Iraqis were insisting on the inclusion of a "very clear timeline" for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces, but he refused to disclose any dates being discussed.

The main sticking points have been over the authorization of U.S. military operations, immunity for U.S. troops and sovereignty issues, Zebari said, adding that both sides "are compromising on all these issues."

In videotaped remarks to reporters, Zebari said in Arabic that negotiators were "on the brink" of agreement. But he later called The Associated Press to stress the talks were ongoing.

"They have achieved substantial progress," he said. "We are very close to reaching a final agreement."

The Iraqi government has been holding firm for a withdrawal schedule — a move the Iraqis said was essential to win parliamentary approval. But U.S. acceptance — even tentatively — of a specific timeline would represent a dramatic reversal of American policy in place since the war began in March 2003.

Zebari said he hoped an agreement could be ready to present to Iraqi lawmakers for approval "when the parliament convenes ... hopefully in early September."

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