BAGHDAD, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iraq expressed its willingness Wednesday to open talks with Washington over the presence of U.S. military troops here after the deadline to withdraw by the end of 2011.
However, sharply divided views remain in different Iraqi religious groups over the issue as the deadline approaches, analysts said.
GREEN LIGHT ONLY FOR TALKS
The Iraqi government was authorized to negotiate with the United States on its stationed forces, Deputy Prime Minister Rowsch Nouri Shaways said Wednesday night after a nearly five-hour meeting of the country's major political leaders.
The U.S. military was granted permission only to train Iraqi security forces, Shaways added.
The agreement was finalized after three closed-door talks in Iraq during the past several months. The previous two meetings did not bear any fruit.
According to the terms of a bilateral military pact inked in 2008, the U.S. combat mission, with about 46,000 soldiers currently in the Middle East nation, will leave at the end of this year. However, the Pentagon expects to maintain parts of its forces in Iraq.
The top U.S. military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, on Tuesday paid a visit to Iraq ahead of the third-round talks and urged the local government to make decisions as early as possible.
Iraqi media believe that the decision was pushed at least in some cases by Mullen's visit.
