Iraq approves changes in SOFA draft

BAGHDAD, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- The Iraqi government says it has approved changes it wants to see in a status of forces agreement governing U.S. troops in Iraq.

Still unclear, however, is whether Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has been authorized to present the new demands to Washington, will actually do so, and if the United States is willing to negotiate further, CNN reported Tuesday.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali Dabbagh said Iraq is proposing amendments to the SOFA agreement it deems "necessary, essential and appropriate" in any deal to set the terms for the continued presence of U.S. forces in the country after a United Nations mandate expires Dec. 31.

CNN says the existing draft agreement calls for U.S. combat troops to be out of Iraqi cities and villages by July 30, 2009, and out of the country entirely by December 31, 2011.

State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters the current draft was "a good agreement, it was carefully negotiated by both sides," adding that "if the Iraqis have some concerns about the text, they can certainly compile those recommendations and forward them on to us officially. That has not yet happened."