Iraqi-U.S. pact on track, minister says

WASHINGTON, July 29 (UPI) -- Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani expressed confidence Baghdad and Washington were moving in the right direction on a formal security agreement.

"In general, I feel that we are moving in the right direction towards concluding an agreement," Bolani told reporters in Washington this week.

U.S. President George Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki agreed in November to reach a formal status of forces agreement by July 31 to replace the expiring U.N. mandate for Iraq.

Diplomatic wrangling has put that deadline in doubt, prompting some U.S. and Iraqi officials to suggest extending the U.N. mandate under a Chapter VI provision.

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, however, said extending negotiations beyond July 31 did not necessarily indicate an agreement would not be reached, Middle East Online reported.

"I don't necessarily think we'll meet that date in particular; could be a few days or a couple weeks past that," she said.

Bolani, for his part, said Iraqi security forces were working diligently to prepare to take over more security responsibilities as the U.S. mission in Iraq evolves.

"We still have some challenges, and we are working on creating the proper atmosphere where we can have some training and improvement that is qualitative," he said.