The Iraqi cabinet has approved a pact that will allow 150,000 US troops to stay in Iraq for another three years. The draft Status of Forces Agreement must still be approved by the Iraqi parliament and then ratified by Iraq’s three-member presidential council. In addition to setting a withdrawal date for 2011, the deal puts some restrictions on US combat operations in Iraq starting January 1 and requires a US military pullback from urban areas by June 30. The pact is still opposed by some Sunni groups and the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has called for armed resistance against any agreement that allowed a continued US presence in Iraq. Iraqi government spokesperson Ali al-Dabbagh said the pact is the “best possible, available option.”

Ali Al-Dabbagh: “The forces will withdraw on June 30, 2009 from cities and districts to bases agreed upon by Iraq and the US administration. This date is not liable to change according to the situation on ground. The date is definite and final.”