Iraqi FM: US flexible on security agreement

Source: Agencies  |   2008-6-19  |     ONLINE EDITION

IRAQ'S foreign minister said yesterday that prospects for a new security agreement with the United States had brightened because of US flexibility on the terms.

Hoshyar Zebari gave the optimistic assessment to reporters after meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Iraq is seeking a larger role in the agreement, which is designed to establish a legal framework for US military operations in the country after a UN mandate expires at the end of the year. The deadline for coming to terms is July 31.

"There is more flexibility on the US side to reach an agreement that is acceptable both for the US and for us," Zebari said.

On the US side, Tom Casey, a State Department spokesman, said concluding an agreement required flexibility on both sides.

"It is a negotiation that is making progress," he said, declining to provide details.

Speaking in Arabic, Zebari said the United States had offered "options to overcome difficulties." He provided no details.