President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki Monday adopted a plan to set the stage for talks next year on issues including a long-term US troop presence, the White House said. Bush's "war czar," Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, said the non-binding "declaration of principles" laid the groundwork for negotiations in 2008 on political, economic and security ties.
It was "an important document that frames our emerging strategic relationship with Iraq," he said after the plan was signed separately by the two leaders during a video-conference. "Iraq is increasingly able to stand on its own, that's very good news, but it won't have to stand alone," Lute told reporters."The shape and size of any long-term or longer-than-2008 US presence in Iraq will be a key matter for negotiations between the two parties, Iraq and the United States, so it's too soon to tell what shape and size that commitment will take," he added.
Asked about the possibility of permanent US bases in Iraq, Lute said "likewise, that's another dimension of continuing US support to the government of Iraq and will certainly be a key item for negotiation next year."
The United States hopes to conclude the negotiations by July, the general said. Monday's declaration outlined three main areas of what Washington expects the emerging agreement to contain: a political and diplomatic part, one dealing with economic affairs, and a security segment.
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