Iraq Calls for Changes in US Pullout Pact

Parties in Iraq’s ruling Shiite coalition are seeking to alter what was supposed to be a final agreement with the US concerning when American troops would leave, Reuters reports. The draft says US forces must leave Iraq by the end of 2011 unless the Iraqi government wants them to stay. Iraq’s foreign minister had said both nations considered the deal final, and that parliament would only be allowed to approve or reject it.

However, the Shiite coalition said in a statement: “Beside the positive points that were included in this pact, there are other points that need more time, more discussion, more dialogue, and amendments to some articles."
(More Iraq stories.)