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Explosions as envoy visits Iraq Iraq says US troop deal is close
(40 minutes later)
Two blasts have occurred near Baghdad's Green Zone where US envoy John Negroponte was preparing to speak to journalists about his visit to Iraq. The US and Iraq are "very close" to a deal on US troops staying in Iraq after 2008, Iraq's foreign minister has said after talks with a top US envoy.
Reports conflicted as to the source of the explosions, with some sources suggesting mortars and others a double vehicle bombing. But speaking at a joint news conference with John Negroponte, Hoshyar Zebari warned that "hectic political meetings" remained before it could be finalised.
At least five people were injured in the attack. The UN mandate on multi-national forces in Iraq expires at the end of the year.
Mr Negroponte, deputy secretary of state, is in Iraq for talks on the handover of security to Iraqi forces. As the news conference inside the Green Zone was beginning, two bombs went off nearby, injuring at least five people.
Reports conflicted as to the source of the explosions, with some suggesting mortars and others bombs attached to cars.
The Green Zone is a fortified compound of government and diplomatic offices and has come under mortar and rocket attack in the past.The Green Zone is a fortified compound of government and diplomatic offices and has come under mortar and rocket attack in the past.
'No false hope'
Last month, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki spoke of "serious and dangerous obstacles" to a deal with the US on the future status of American forces in Iraq.
There were conflicting reports as to the source of the explosionsThere were conflicting reports as to the source of the explosions
Minutes after the attack, Mr Negroponte began his scheduled joint news conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. At issue is US troops' immunity from local prosecution and the right of American soldiers to detain Iraqi citizens, as well as responsibility for overseeing military operations.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice confirmed that her deputy was in Iraq for talks with the Iraqi government on planning for the transition as more US forces withdraw and Iraqis take on more responsibilities. Speaking on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Zebari said he did not want to foster "any false hope" on the issue of immunity.
His weekend discussions also covered the remaining obstacles to a security agreement that would govern the US military presence in Iraq beyond December, when the current legal authorities expire, Ms Rice said. "This issue needs, I think, some bold political decisions and we are at that stage," he added.
The US currently has around 147,000 US troops based in Iraq.
Iraqi officials say the deal on the table calls for US troops to leave the country by the end of 2011 unless the Baghdad government asks them to stay.
Mr Negroponte, deputy secretary of state, has been holding talks in Iraq since the weekend, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice confirmed earlier.