US Responds to Iraqi Proposals on American Troops

U.S. soldiers secure the area after a roadside bomb explosion in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday,...

U.S. soldiers secure the area after a roadside bomb explosion in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008. A roadside bomb exploded Thursday, next to a civilian pickup truck carrying construction workers in eastern Baghdad injuring nine of them, police said.

(Khalid Mohammed/AP Photo)

The U.S. responded Thursday to Iraqi proposals for changes in the draft security pact that would keep American troops here for three more years, saying it now considers the text final and it is up to Iraq's government to push the process to approval.

U.S. and Iraqi officials would not release details of Washington's response, which was contained in a letter from President Bush to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

But a senior Iraqi official familiar with the negotiations said Washington accepted some proposals and rejected others, presumably an Iraqi demand for expanded legal authority over American troops and Defense Department contractors.

The official would not elaborate and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Iraqi lawmakers have said the demanded changes are essential to winning parliament's approval before the Dec. 31 deadline, when the U.N. mandate for the U.S.-led coalition expires. Without an agreement or a new mandate, the U.S. would have to suspend all military operations in Iraq.

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"We have gotten back to the Iraqis with a final text," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters in Washington. "Through this step, we've concluded the process on our side."

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the U.S. had responded "very positively" to the Iraqis and considered the negotiations closed "on our side."

Al-Maliki plans to seek approval of his coalition Cabinet before forwarding the draft to parliament. The Iraqi leader wants to be sure of solid support before risking his political future by supporting an agreement that many Iraqis consider an affront to national dignity.

Privately, key Iraqi politicians are believed to support the agreement but are worried about a public backlash before regional elections planned for January.

During talks this year, U.S. and Iraqi negotiators worked out an initial agreement calling for all American soldiers to withdraw from Iraq's cities by next June 30, with the last U.S. troops leaving the country by 2012.