Talabani back in Sulaimaniya to resume meetings

SULAIMANIYA / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi President Jalal al-Talabani on Monday returned to the northern city of Sulaimaniya to resume meetings with Kurdish officials, according to a key figure in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). “Today, Talabani returned to Sulaimaniya following his meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush in Baghdad…,” Mostafa Jawersh told IraqiNews.com. On Saturday afternoon, Talabani unexpectedly left Sulaimaniya for the capital Baghdad to meet with Bush. On Sunday, Bush arrived on a surprise visit to the capital Baghdad and met with the Iraqi president, prime minister, and other officials. 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)/SR 1