Washington - US President George W Bush met Wednesday with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani as the two countries work to finalize an agreement establishing a legal basis for the presence of US forces.

Bush has sought the deal as to replace the UN mandate set to expire at the end of the year, but the two sides have been bogged down in disagreement over withdrawal timelines and Washington's demand that US troops retain immunity from Iraqi criminal prosecution.

Baghdad - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani underwent an operation on his heart valve in the US, the Iraqi news agency Aswat al-Iraq reported late on Thursday, citing the president's office in Baghda

Baghdad - Iraq's President Jalal Talabani denounced Wednesday the passing of the key provincial election law by the Iraqi parliament as unconstitutional, and said he would not ratify it.

Talabani said the law would deepen sectarian and nationalistic tendencies, according to a statement released by his office. He criticized the fact that the vote involved an "unprecedented" secret ballot.

Iraq's parliament passed the key law on Tuesday despite a walkout by Kurdish members of parliament to protest a secret ballot on a provision related to the multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk.