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Door nearly closed on Iraq troop deal, Gates says

WASHINGTON
Tue Oct 21, 2008 5:48pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday expressed "great reluctance" about altering a draft agreement with the Iraqi government that would govern the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq after December 31.

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"There is great reluctance to engage further in the drafting process," Gates told reporters.

"I don't think you slam the door shut, but I would say it's pretty far closed," he added, warning that failure to reach a new status of forces agreement (SOFA) or renew the current U.N. mandate for U.S. troops would mean "we basically stop doing anything."

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Kristin Roberts)
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