Bush, Talabani to meet Wednesday on Iraq security

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush will meet Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Wednesday to discuss a long-term security pact for U.S. forces to stay in Iraq, among other issues, the White House said on Tuesday.

"The U.N. mandate expires at the end of this year, the Iraqis have told us they do not want to renew that mandate," said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe. "Their preference is to set an agreement with the United States for future involvement in Iraq and so I'm sure they will discuss that." Talabani is traveling to Washington for the meeting.

The two countries have been negotiating a new security deal to provide a legal basis for U.S. troops to stay in Iraq after a United Nations mandate expires on December 31, and a separate long-term agreement on political, economic and security ties.

Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki spoke last week via video conference call and the White House said that the two had agreed that the discussions for a pact were "proceeding well".

That call came after Maliki earlier this month had warned that the talks were deadlocked amid concerns about Iraqi sovereignty. The United States later backed down on one request seeking legal immunity for private contractors working in Iraq.

Johndroe said Bush and Talabani would also discuss the security situation in Iraq as well as political and economic matters.

(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky)