Gov’t considers British agreement to train Iraqi navy- spokesperson

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi government is currently considering the possibility of reaching an agreement with the British Navy in Iraq to train and support Iraqi Navy forces, which are assigned to protect ports and floating oil facilities in the south of the country, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday. “These tasks will be defined by bilateral negotiations with the British government,” Spokesperson Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement that was received by IraqiNews.com news agency. The agreement will allow not more than 400 British troops to remain in Iraq to undertake training tasks in the Iraqi regional waters, Dabbagh noted. The training will begin after a U.N. mandate allowing the British military to remain in Iraq expires on July 31, 2009, Dabbagh explained. SS (P) /SR 1