Washington - US troops will be protected under a new agreement with Iraq on the future US presence in the country, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Friday.

Gates said members of Congress had reacted "positively" to the Iraq forces deal, which reached tentative agreement between US and Iraqi negotiators on Wednesday but still has to be approved by the legislatures of both countries.

Both Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been briefing key congressional leaders by telephone on the details of the agreement and seeking their support, spokesmen for both the Defence and State Departments said.

Few details have been released of the so-called Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA, a standard deal Washington works out with countries who host the US military.

Some of the sticking points had included how long the US military can hold prisoners without charging them, whether the Iraqi government should be informed in advance of US military operations, and whether US soldiers should be subject to US or Iraqi criminal law.

Gates said he and US military leaders "are all satisfied that our men and women in uniform serving in Iraq are well protected" under the agreement, though he didn't specify if that meant US troops would be immune from local prosecution.

Iraqi religious leaders voiced skepticism Friday and have called for the deal to be put to a referendum. A massive demonstration by supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is planned for Saturday.

US media have reported the deal involves a 2011 withdrawal date of US forces, something sought by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki. President George W Bush has resisted binding timelines and White House spokeswoman Dana Perino referred only to "aspiration dates" on Friday. (dpa)