US officials are abiding by the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Iraq that will have them withdrawing the remainder of US troops by the end of this year, Carney said during a briefing.
US officials will entertain requests by the Iraqi government for a new agreement, Carney said, "but as of now, we fully intend to fulfill our obligation under that SOFA and withdraw all our remaining forces. As you know, since the President has come into office, we have withdrawn 100,000 US troops from Iraq and, again, according to the SOFA, we will draw down to zero by the end of the year." The United States has been bringing troops home from Iraq "consistently" and is "moving along according to the existing agreements we have." Asked if talks were taking place for a possible new SOFA with Iraq, Carney said, "I have nothing to announce on that. I have no specific negotiations that are under way."
Source: Kuna – Kuwait News Agency
