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| Iraq warns US on withdrawal date | Iraq warns US on withdrawal date |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Iraq will not accept any security deal with the US which does not include a date for the pullout of foreign troops, a senior Iraqi official has said. | Iraq will not accept any security deal with the US which does not include a date for the pullout of foreign troops, a senior Iraqi official has said. |
| National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie was speaking in Najaf. | National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie was speaking in Najaf. |
| The prospect of setting such a timetable was raised by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki on Monday. | The prospect of setting such a timetable was raised by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki on Monday. |
| The US has played down the suggestion of a withdrawal timetable. The UN mandate allowing a US presence in Iraq expires in 2008. | The US has played down the suggestion of a withdrawal timetable. The UN mandate allowing a US presence in Iraq expires in 2008. |
| "We will not accept any memorandum of understanding if it does not give a specific date for a complete withdrawal of foreign troops," Mr al-Rubaie told reporters in Iraq's holy city of Najaf. | "We will not accept any memorandum of understanding if it does not give a specific date for a complete withdrawal of foreign troops," Mr al-Rubaie told reporters in Iraq's holy city of Najaf. |
| "Our stance in the negotiations under way with the American side will be strong," he said, but added that it was proving "very difficult" to set a pullout date. | |
| Mr al-Rubaie was speaking after meeting Iraq's top Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. | |
| Election issue | |
| The US and Iraqi governments have been negotiating a detailed bilateral Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) since March and it was supposed to be concluded this month. | The US and Iraqi governments have been negotiating a detailed bilateral Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) since March and it was supposed to be concluded this month. |
| On Tuesday, a US state department spokesman said Washington would not divulge details of the talks. | On Tuesday, a US state department spokesman said Washington would not divulge details of the talks. |
| Many Iraqis want to see an end to the American military presence in their country, but are fearful of the consequences for security, correspondents say. | Many Iraqis want to see an end to the American military presence in their country, but are fearful of the consequences for security, correspondents say. |
| The US position has always been that setting a timetable for withdrawal gives an advantage to insurgents who have been battling US-led forces since the 2003 invasion which overthrew Saddam Hussein. | |
| A possible withdrawal from Iraq has become a major issue in the US presidential election campaign and could also figure prominently in local elections in Iraq in October. |