BAGHDAD - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Monday he is negotiating a short-term accord with Washington to set the framework for a continued US military presence, rather than a long-term pact.
A statement released by his office in Baghdad said Maliki told a group of Arab ambassadors at a meeting in Abu Dhabi that the short-term agreement should contain a formula for keeping US troops in Iraq beyond 2008.
"For the time being the idea is to have a memorandum of understanding on the withdrawal of forces," Maliki said in the statement.
"The negotiations are continuing with the American side," he added, without elaborating.
Washington and Baghdad are currently negotiating a security deal that would decide the future of US-led foreign forces in Iraq beyond 2008 when a UN mandate expires.
The deal has, however, faced strong opposition from Iraqi leaders who claim that the agreement compromises the country's "sovereignty."
The security pact is to be finalised by July 31 under an agreement between US President George W. Bush and Maliki, who wraps up a two-day visit to the UAE on Monday.
bur-jds/txw
07/07/2008 10:52 GMT