BAGHDAD (Reuters) -- Washington has received and is reviewing Iraqi proposals for amendments to a pact that would allow U.S. troops to stay in Iraq after a UN Security Council mandate expires this year, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has said.
"We got them. We are looking at them," embassy spokeswoman Susan Ziadeh said.
The Iraqi cabinet drew up the proposed amendments on October 28 after announcing last week it wanted changes to a text that had been agreed over months of negotiations.
The proposed amendments have not been made public, but Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on October 28 that they included changes to some of the content of the text as well as its wording.
Environment Minister Nermin Othman, who attended the cabinet meeting the same day, said the amendments were mainly intended to remove ambiguities and would not alter one of the main sections, which grants Iraq the power to try U.S. troops in its courts for serious crimes committed while off duty.
"We got them. We are looking at them," embassy spokeswoman Susan Ziadeh said.
The Iraqi cabinet drew up the proposed amendments on October 28 after announcing last week it wanted changes to a text that had been agreed over months of negotiations.
The proposed amendments have not been made public, but Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on October 28 that they included changes to some of the content of the text as well as its wording.
Environment Minister Nermin Othman, who attended the cabinet meeting the same day, said the amendments were mainly intended to remove ambiguities and would not alter one of the main sections, which grants Iraq the power to try U.S. troops in its courts for serious crimes committed while off duty.
