Iraq insists on U.S. withdrawal timetable: official

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq will not accept any security agreement with the United States unless it includes dates for the withdrawal of foreign forces, the government's national security adviser said on Tuesday.

But the government's spokesman said any timetable would depend on security conditions on the ground.

The differing stances underscore the intense debate in Baghdad over a deal with Washington that will provide a legal basis for U.S. troops to operate when a U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year.

On Monday, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki appeared to catch Washington off-guard by suggesting for the first time that a timetable be set for the departure of U.S. forces under the deal being negotiated, which he called a memorandum of understanding.

National security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie appeared to go one step further on Tuesday.

"We can't have a memorandum of understanding with foreign forces unless it has dates and clear horizons determining the departure of foreign forces. We're unambiguously talking about their departure," he said.

Rubaie was speaking to reporters in Najaf after meeting Iraq 's top Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani .

He said he spoke to Sistani about the U.S. talks, but did not say if the cleric had an opinion on the negotiations. The revered cleric is routinely briefed on key national issues.

"I informed the (clerical leaders) about some of the advances in the talks ... There is a big difference in outlook between us and the Americans," Rubaie said, adding Iraq 's 500,000-strong security forces had greatly improved.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh, speaking on al-Hurra television, said it was an Iraqi demand to know when foreign forces would leave.

"Will this be through a timetable, a timeframe or time horizon? It depends on the situation on the ground. I think this will determine the dates or will affect whether it is possible to put (the departure) under a timetable."

A senior Shi'ite official added: "It is very soon to talk about details. The talks are in the early stages."

U.S. SEES "SHARED GOALS"

The Bush administration has always opposed setting any withdrawal timetable, saying it would allow militant groups to lie low and wait until the 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq left.

In Washington, John Sullivan, a spokesman for the State Department's Near Eastern Affairs bureau, said:

"We believe that the prime minister's statement and the national security adviser's statements reflect shared goals of the United States and Iraq ."

Those goals, were "to reduce U.S. forces and let Iraqi security forces grow in their size and capability," he said.

Earlier, the White House said the talks were not aimed at setting a hard deadline for withdrawal.

In a further complication, Iraq 's deputy parliament speaker Khalid al-Attiya said deputies must approve any deal the Iraqi government reaches and will probably reject the document if American troops are immune from Iraqi law.

It would be virtually unthinkable for the United States to allow its soldiers to be subject to Iraqi law.

Maliki's preference for a memorandum of understanding, which could be an attempt to bypass parliament, is in contrast to earlier talks which have all been leading to the signing of a formal Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).

"Without doubt, if the two sides reach an agreement, this is between two countries, and according to the Iraqi constitution a national agreement must be agreed by parliament by a majority of two thirds," Attiya told Reuters in an interview.

Washington has SOFA pacts with many countries, and they typically exempt U.S. troops from facing trial or prison abroad.

Iraq said last week Washington was showing flexibility on some key issues, which officials said included dropping a demand for immunity for private contractors working for the U.S. government.

Control of military operations and airspace are other points of contention, along with the detention of prisoners.

(Additional reporting by Khaled Farhan in Najaf , Mariam Karouny in London, Jeremy Pelofsky in Toyako, Susan Cornwell in Washington, Writing by Dean Yates, Editing by Richard Williams)