Iraqi cabinet approves final draft of security pact with US

Iraqi cabinet approves final draft of security pact with USBaghdad - The Iraqi cabinet on Sunday unanimously approved the final version of a security pact with the United States, al- Jazeera network reported. 

The pact, known as the Status of Forces Agreement, would establish a legal basis for the presence of US soldiers in Iraq after a United Nations mandate expires at end of this year. 

The draft agreement includes 31 articles and calls for US troops to pull out of Iraqi cities by June 2009 and from the entire country by the end of 2011. 

The draft is now passed to parliament for approval before the agreement is signed by the US president and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. (dpa)

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