President, lawmakers urge consensus on security pact

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and representatives of parliamentary blocs have stressed the importance of achieving a national consensus on a security pact with the United States that serves Iraq’s interests. Talabani stressed the necessity of reaching a common ahi ccord on several political issues, according to a presidential statement received by IraqiNews.com. The meeting included members of the Iraqi Accord Front (IAF), the National Dialogue Front (NDF), the Kurdistan Alliance (KA), the Kurdistan Islamic Union, the Independent Arab Bloc, as well as independent parliamentarians. The Iraqi cabinet has endorsed a controversial security 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 throughout the past months. The pact should determine the legal framework for U.S. troop presence when a UN mandate expires at the end of 2008. SS (S) 1