Iraqi government has categorically rejected signing of any security deal without specifying a date of U.S. troops' withdrawal.
This was announced by Iraq's national security adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubaie in a press conference in the holy city of al-Najaf Tuesday.
The Iraqi official's statement has put into uncertainty the fate of the Status of Forces Agreement security pact, which was proposed to be signed by July 31 to replace a previous agreement between US President George W Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki.
The Bush administration, which has been reluctant to set any withdrawal timetable, rejected the Iraqi demand.
"The US government wants to withdraw, as agreed; however, that decision will be conditions-based," State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said.
Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki proposed signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Washington on the basis of a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
The talks on the security pact have been dogged by worries over Iraq's sovereignty as well as a growing concern in the country about a possible long-term American presence.
An agreement is necessary to replace a UN mandate authorizing the presence of the US troops, as it will expire on December 31.
"We can't have an agreement unless it has clear dates determining the departure of foreign forces," Al-Rubaie told reporters after briefing Iraq's top Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani about the progress of the Iraqi-US talks over the security deal.
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