U.S., Iraq Move Closer to Reaching a Security Deal

The Bush administration's embrace of a flexible timeline for pulling U.S. troops from Iraq has accelerated negotiations between Washington and Baghdad over a long-term security pact, officials from both sides said.

The optimism marks a turnaround from just a month ago, when big differences seemed to have deadlocked talks over the terms of a continued American military presence in the country. In June, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said the talks were at a "dead end," dimming hopes of reaching a deal by July 31 -- a goal the Bush administration has pushed hard to meet.

This month, however, the White House said it had agreed to a "general time horizon" for troop withdrawals, breaking from its long-held public resistance to the notion. The change has helped overcome differences on other issues, such as immunity for U.S. troops, negotiators on both sides said.

An actual date for a planned pullout hasn't been hashed out. Iraqis are pushing for a 2010 withdrawal, but a compromise could be a year or two after that, according to people familiar with the talks. The agreement would allow for flexibility in case violence spikes again in Iraq, these people said.

Both sides cautioned nothing is final. While they say they are hopeful of reaching an agreement close to the White House's Thursday goal, any deal still has to be presented to the Iraqi parliament. Parliament won't be able to take up the issue until September, after a monthlong break.

The Maliki government has a mixed record of getting its way in parliament, with government-blessed legislation, including a petroleum law, long stalled by lawmakers. Still, both sides have expressed new optimism about reaching a deal.

"There has been a lot of progress," said Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, in an interview Tuesday. "There is new momentum behind it now."

A deal is necessary to provide a legal basis for the U.S. troop presence after a United Nations mandate expires at the end of this year.