Iraqi Prime Minister Advocates Withdrawal Timetable

Bolstered by recent Iraqi military successes, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki proposed Monday that negotiators include a timetable for the departure of U.S. troops in any agreement to continue the American presence in Iraq beyond the end of the year.

The suggestion, made during an official visit to the United Arab Emirates, appeared aimed at easing domestic fears that the deal would impinge on Iraqi sovereignty and clear the way for permanent American bases.

The Iraqi leader also recognizes that American opinion has turned against the war and believes his country should not wait for a decision to be made in Washington to pull out troops, according to lawmakers from his Islamic Dawa Party.

President Bush and Maliki have set a target date of July 31 to hammer out a blueprint for U.S.-Iraqi relations after the United Nations mandate for the presence of U.S.-led forces in Iraq expires at the end of the year.

The talks are focused on two accords. One would provide a framework for future diplomatic, economic and security relations. The other, known as a Status of Forces Agreement, would provide a legal basis for U.S. troops to remain in the country.

Negotiators from both sides have said that progress is being made but that outstanding differences might make it impossible to complete a comprehensive Status of Forces Agreement in time to put it into effect by the end of the year. A number of possible bridging measures are being explored.

"The current orientation [of the talks] is to reach a memorandum of understanding either to withdraw the forces, or to set a timetable for their withdrawal," Maliki's office quoted him as saying in response to questions from Arab ambassadors in Abu Dhabi.

Many Iraqis, including members of Maliki's government, view a deal that allows for a long-term American military presence as a surrender of sovereignty to an occupying force. Setting a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops could ease those fears.

Followers of influential Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada Sadr, who pulled his representatives out of Maliki's Cabinet last year over the government's refusal to set such a timetable, welcomed Monday's statement.

"We have been demanding to set a timetable for the withdrawal of those forces . . . since the beginning," said Felah Shanshal, one of the cleric's loyalists in parliament. "It would be wonderful if that could be achieved."

The security agreement is also a contentious issue in Washington, where Democrats have accused Bush of trying to commit the U.S. to a long-term presence in Iraq before he leaves office in January. White House officials have said the agreement will not set force levels or establish permanent bases in Iraq.