U.S. State Department and Iraqi Foreign Ministry officials opened negotiations Tuesday over formal arrangements for a long-term relationship in the political, economic and security fields.
The talks will also focus on establishing a blueprint for what is known as a "status of forces agreement," a standard arrangement that spells out the legal basis for the presence of U.S. troops on Iraqi territory and establishes legal rights and obligations.
The U.S. government has such deals with dozens of other countries.
The proposal is a contentious issue in Washington, where congressional Democrats have accused the Bush administration of trying to commit the United States to a long-term presence in Iraq before the next president takes office. White House officials say they want to establish the basis of a sustainable policy in Iraq, but maintain that this will not tie the hands of the next administration.
The United States has about 159,000 troops in Iraq and is expected to cut that to about 100,000 by the time a new chief executive is sworn in next January.
