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Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari met with the U.S. President George W. Bush and National Security Adviser Stephen Howley at the White House, the meeting was attended by the Ambassador of Iraq to the United States, Mr Samir Sumaida'ie, and Ambassadors Fared Yassin and Abdel Amir Abu Tbeikh.
President Bush stressed on the United States respect for Iraq's sovereignty and the will of its people and his keenness to help Iraq in confronting the challenges that face its stability and expressed his understanding for the manner of the Iraqi government during the negotiations to conclude the Strategic Framework Agreement and Security Agreement.
Minister Zebari explained the considerations that govern the willingness of Iraq to conclude these agreements and the stage achieved in negotiations and the options available for the parties. The minister expressed satisfaction with the significant improvement in the security situation throughout Iraq and moderation of the political horizon which opens the way for further progress in all levels, therefore these achievements should be maintained and not exposed to danger, by a legal vacuum after the expiration of the Security Council's mandate on the presence of multinational forces.
The parties agreed to seek appropriate solutions to the outstanding issues to reach an agreement that meets the immediate needs of the parties and contains sufficient flexibility to leave open choices for the following Governments.
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