Iraq wants clear timeline for U.S. pullout

By Mohammed Abbas

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United States must provide a "very clear timeline" to withdraw its troops from Iraq as part of an agreement allowing them to stay beyond this year, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Sunday.

In an interview with Reuters, Zebari said the agreement, including the timeline, was "very close" and would probably be presented to the Iraqi parliament in early September.

Asked if Iraq would accept a document that did not include dates for a withdrawal, Zebari said: "No, no. Definitely there has to be a very clear timeline."

It was the strongest public assertion yet that Iraq was demanding a timeline.

U.S. President George W. Bush has resisted setting a firm schedule for pulling troops out of Iraq, although last month the White House began speaking of a general "time horizon" and "aspirational goals" to withdraw.

"The talks are still ongoing. There's been a great deal of progress. The deal is very close. It is about to be closed," Zebari said of the agreement. The pact will replace a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the U.S. presence, which expires at the end of this year.

A sticking point in the negotiations is Washington's wish that its troops be immune from Iraqi law. In July, Iraq's deputy speaker of parliament told Reuters legislators were likely to veto a deal if this were granted.

Other hurdles include the power of the U.S. military to detain Iraqi citizens and their authority to conduct military operations, Zebari said.

"Our negotiators have really found compromises on all these issues."

He would not be drawn on the precise dates that Iraqi negotiators were seeking for withdrawal, saying the document was not yet final. Iraqi officials have said they would like to see all combat troops out by October 2010.

An agreement that included that date would require the Bush administration effectively to accept a timeline almost identical to the one proposed by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who opposed the 2003 invasion.

"You may hear many dates, but I caution you not to take any of these dates until you get the final document," Zebari said.

(Editing by Peter Graff and Andrew Dobbie)