By SPA,
Washington : US troops will be protected under a new agreement with Iraq on the future US presence in the country, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday.
DPA quoted Gates as saying members of Congress had reacted “positively” to the Iraq forces deal, which reached tentative agreement between US and Iraqi negotiators on Wednesday but still has to be approved by the Legislatures of both countries.
Both Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been briefing key congressional leaders by telephone on the details of the agreement and seeking their support, spokesmen for both the Defense and State Departments said.
Few details have been released of the so-called Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA, a standard deal Washington works out with countries who host the US military.