The Iraqi cabinet has authorised Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to negotiate changes to a security pact that sets a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said that the proposed changes, agreed upon by cabinet members today, addressed both 'wording and content'.
He also said that there were 'necessary and essential changes' to be incorporated in the deal, and authorised Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki to present them to the American side.
The cabinet has decided to seek changes to the deal, the latest draft of which which already stipulates that American forces will withdraw from Iraqi cities by June 2009 and from the country by December 2011.
The new draft also offers powers to the Iraqi authorities to prosecute American soldiers and civilians for 'serious crimes' committed outside their bases and when off-duty.
The deal has to be finalised before December 2008 when the current UN mandate that acts as the legal basis for the presence of American forces in Iraq expires.
Several Iraqi leaders have opposed the pact, especially Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose supporters have regularly protested on the streets against the deal.
Elsewhere, the cabinet also denounced Sunday's raid by US forces inside Syria, which Syria has termed a 'terrorist' act that killed eight civilians.
