Talabani calls for national consensus on SOFA

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has stressed the importance of establishing a national consensus on the security pact that is scheduled to take place with the United States. During his meeting with the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, and the U.S. State Department’s coordinator for Iraq, David Satterfield, Talabani stressed the necessity of reaching a common accord on the deal, according to a statement published on the official web site of the Iraqi presidency. 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