U.S. offers concessions in Iraqi SOFA

BAGHDAD, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. negotiators of the long-term security agreement with Baghdad eased some positions in an effort to move the deal forward, lawmakers said Thursday.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said there was a mutual interest in reaching an agreement on a provision to replace the U.N. mandate for Iraq, which expires in December.

Meanwhile, the chief lawmaker in the Foreign Affairs Committee, Humam Hamoudi with the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance, said any negotiations on the security deal "should take into consideration human rights," Voices of Iraq reported.

There has been a series of high-level talks with various officials and interests in the security agreement, as U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte made a surprise visit to Baghdad during the weekend to help move the process forward.

For his part, Iraqi Speaker of Parliament Mahmoud Mashhadani spoke with Iranian leaders to hear their position on the security pact, telling lawmakers the presence of foreign troops was one of the major problems in Iraq, a view shared by the Iranians.

"Iran and Iraq hold identical views on regional and international developments," he said.

Despite promises from both sides that the measure would be finalized soon, several sticking points remain regarding legal authority over U.S. soldiers and a timetable for a troop withdrawal.