Talabani, INDF leader discuss SOFA agreement

Iraq-Talabani BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Tuesday discussed with the Head of the Iraqi National Dialogue Front Saleh al-Mutlaq the security agreement to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq, known also as a Status-of-Forces Agreement (SOFA). “Talabani asserted during his meeting with al-Mutlaq the importance of the agreement and its positive impacts on Iraq’s future in various political and economic fields,” said a presidential statement received by IraqiNews.com. The Iraqi cabinet endorsed the controversial pact, also known as the status-of-forces agreement (SOFA), by an overwhelming majority of 27 votes to 1. The Iraqi and U.S. sides have been negotiating a long-term security deal during the past months. The pact should determine the legal framework for the U.S. presence in Iraq after the end of this year, when the international mandate granted by the UN Security Council to the U.S. army to intervene in Iraq is due to expire. SH (P)/SR 1