Bush, Maliki sign SOFA

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: U.S. President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have officially signed the troop withdrawal agreement, alongside a document confirming the dates set for the pull-out, a source close to the Iraqi government said. “The Iraqi premier and the U.S. president initialed the agreement that paves the way for U.S. forces to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011,” the source told IraqiNews.com. Bush had held a four-hour meeting with the Iraqi Presidential Board and the head of the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) before heading for another meeting with the Iraqi premier to sign the troop withdrawal agreement. Earlier today, Bush arrived on a surprise visit to the capital Baghdad and met with President Jalal al-Talabani. Bush’s visit comes only 17 days ahead of the beginning of the implementation of the long-term security pact with Iraq, known as the status of forces agreement (SOFA), scheduled to come into effect on January 1, 2009. On November 27, the Iraqi Parliament approved SOFA with a majority of 144 votes to 35 lawmakers, 29 of them are members of parliament from the Sadrist bloc of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr. SS (P) 1