Iraqi PM: U.S. to withdraw troops by 2011

BAGHDAD, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. government has agreed to withdraw U.S. troops by December 2011, among other security concessions, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says.

The Iraqi official said Friday that during ongoing negotiations with the United States, U.S. officials have agreed to major security concessions, the Kuwait News Agency KUNA reported.

Among those concessions is an agreement that U.S. military forces will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of December 2011, Maliki said.

The 2011 date agreement comes after the initial withdrawal proposal of July 2009, KUNA said.

Another major concession granted by U.S. officials is lifting U.N. sanctions placed on Iraq following the earlier Gulf War. By lifting the sanctions, U.S. and U.N. officials would be allowing Iraq to access finances frozen since the conflict.

KUNA reported that Maliki also was thankful that his country once again had Arab relations thanks to the lifting of related security obstacles.