Iraq’s foreign minister is claiming the Bush administration has agreed to lift immunity for private military contractors operating in Iraq. The foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, says the pledge is among several US concessions in ongoing talks on a long-term status of forces agreement for US troops. US negotiators, meanwhile, have reportedly refused Iraqi demands to also lift immunity for US troops. The White House has refused to comment on details of the talks. Previous Iraqi attempts to crack down on private military companies have failed. Blackwater Worldwide is still operating in Iraq despite Iraq’s ban on the company following the massacre of seventeen Iraqi civilians in Baghdad last September.