U.S. policy towards Iraq will not change – presidency

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The U.S. policy towards Iraq will not change after the victory of Senator Barack Obama, the presidential cabinet chief said on Wednesday. “The U.S. policy will not change. changes will touch only approaches and strategies, but the aim will remain as it is, so Iraqi’s reactions are not so strong,” Nusseir al-Aani told IraqiNews.com. Regarding the security agreement between the two countries, al-Aani said that talks on the pact started long time ago, and the Iraqi government will not change its position from the deal, noting that talks still underway but its in the final stage. The U.S. and Iraqi governments are currently negotiating a security pact that would regulate the presence of foreign troops in the country after 2008. The agreement governs the presence of U.S. forces in the country after 2008 and will not come into force without the approval of the Iraqi Parliament, which has 275 members from five blocs, in addition to the Sadrist movement and al-Fadhila party. The U.S. troops’ presence currently relies on a mandate by the United Nations and is annually renewed at the request of the Iraqi government. Barack Obama won the U.S. elections, defeating Republican John McCain to make history as the first black U.S. president. Obama will be sworn in as the 44th U.S. president on January 20, 2009 and will face a crush of immediate challenges, from tackling an economic crisis to ending the war in Iraq and trying to overhaul the U.S. health care system. SH (S) 1