Rice arrives in Iraq for security talks U.S.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on a previously unannounced visit.

Rice is expected Thursday to hold talks with Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, on a security deal that will determine the future status of U.S. forces in Iraq.

She says U.S. and Iraqi officials have made great progress on the agreement but cautioned it is not yet complete. She says there are still issues about how the U.S. forces will operate in Iraq.

Earlier, news agencies quoted Iraqi and U.S. officials as saying the two sides had completed a draft security agreement.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe says any withdrawal dates for U.S. forces will be based on conditions in Iraq to ensure that security gains are not lost.

Iraqi officials said the draft has been sent to the U.S. and Iraqi governments for approval.

U.S. and Iraqi officials as saying the draft calls for U.S. troops to redeploy out of Iraqi cities as soon as next June. Reuters news agency quotes Iraq's chief negotiator Mohammed al-Haj Hamoud as saying the document does not set a timetable for a U.S. troop pullout.

It is not clear how the draft agreement deals with the question of whether U.S. troops will be subject to Iraqi laws.

Washington and Baghdad are trying to reach a deal to grant U.S. forces a legal basis to stay in Iraq after their U.N. mandate expires at the end of this year.

(Published by Voice of America - august 21, 2008)