Date: October 21st, 2008
The Government of Iraq Spokesman, Dr. Ali Al-Dabbagh, announced that the Council of Ministers convened in an ordinary session today to discuss the current draft of the Agreement with the United States. The Council appreciated the efforts of the Iraqi negotiating team and the progress it has achieved in the negotiations bringing the discussions closer to the principles stated by the Government at the beginning of the negotiations.
Al-Dabbagh stressed that the Council of Ministers called upon all sides to review the Agreement objectively and responsibly taking Iraq’s interest into consideration.
Al-Dabbagh added that the Council of Ministers has unanimously agreed that there are necessary amendments which need to be made to the current draft in order to raise the Agreement to a nationally acceptable level. The Council called upon the Ministers to submit these amendments in order for them to be included in the negotiations with the American side.
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