WASHINGTON (AFP) — The White House said on Friday the text of an accord on the future of US forces in Iraq was a "good agreement," shortly before the Baghdad cabinet was set to weigh in on the deal.
"We believe this is a good agreement that serves both Iraq and the United States well. We look forward to the Iraqis concluding the process," national security council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.
He declined to comment on the prospects of the Iraqi government approving the deal this weekend.
Iraq's national security adviser Muwafaq al-Rubaie said Friday he was confident Baghdad would endorse the military pact that has a timetable for the withdrawal of all US troops by 2011 and for British troops to leave by the end of next year.
If the cabinet votes to accept the agreement, it would then go to parliament for final approval.
However the US administration has said securing approval by the Iraqi parliament could be difficult given political rivalries and provincial elections set for January 31.
Iraqi leaders have been racing to secure separate agreements with both the United States and Britain to replace the UN mandate currently governing the presence of foreign troops in the country, which expires on December 31.
For months, the US and Iraq have been wrangling over the text of the so-called Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).
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