Kurdistan president reiterates support for security deal

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: President of Iraq’s Kurdistan region Massoud Barzani stressed his support for the controversial security agreement that is scheduled to take place between Iraq and the United States, according to a presidential statement. The agreement “is in the interest of the Iraqi people, the United States and the entire region,” Barzani said in a statement that was received by IraqiNews.com. Barzani is currently on a visit to the United States, where he gave a speech during a reception attended by senior U.S. officials. 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