Security deal negotiations limited to some parties- MP

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A parliamentarian from the Iraqi National List (INL) on Tuesday said that the negotiations over the U.S. security deal have been restricted to participating powers in the Iraqi government. “We, the Iraqi National List, were not involved in the talks over the fundamentals of the security agreement. We have not been acquainted with the details and we are waiting for its submission to the Parliament to express our opinion about it,” MP Osama al-Nujeifi told IraqiNews.com. Led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, the Iraqi National List (INL) holds 19 seats in the 275-member Parliament. The U.S. and Iraqi governments are currently negotiating a security pact that would regulate the presence of foreign troops in the country after 2008. A declaration of principles was signed between U.S. President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in December 2007. The declaration was scheduled to be ratified on July 31, 2008 and to come into force as of January 1, 2009. The agreement governs the presence of U.S. forces in the country after 2008 and will not come into force without the approval of the Iraqi Parliament, which has 275 members from five blocs, in addition to the Sadrist movement and al-Fadhila party. The U.S. troops’ presence currently relies on a mandate by the United Nations and is annually renewed at the request of the Iraqi government. SS (S) 1