US-Iraq security agreement subject to Iranian conditionsnote

The Iraqi government approved a 3-year US-Iraq security and military agreement to legalize the US military presence in Iraq, as the UN mandate expires on December 31, 2008. Reports from Baghdad suggest the Iraqi government’s approval came following a series of meetings between Iraqi delegates and Iranian officials. The following 499-word newswire focuses on these meetings, on the Iranian conditions, on the Iraqi promises to meet these conditions, and on how the Americans are likely to react to the Iranian conditions and Iraqi promises. The newswire also talks about how radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr is preparing to fight the agreement.