Pact sets limits on Iraqi prosecution of troops

Draft provisions
Other provisions of the draft would give Iraqis a far greater role in U.S. military operations than at any time during the nearly six-year war.

American troops would no longer be allowed to detain suspects or search homes without Iraqi legal authorization except in cases of active combat, the officials said. Anyone detained by the Americans must be handed over to the Iraqis within 24 hours.

All detainees currently held by the U.S. must be released or transferred to Iraqi control, the officials said, although the timetable for the moves was subject to a joint review.

A joint U.S.-Iraqi committee will be established to coordinate American military operations, which must be carried out in accordance with Iraqi law and customs, the officials said.

Al-Maliki is hoping for two-thirds approval in the 275-member parliament to ensure he can fend off political challenges in provincial and national elections and resist pressure from neighboring Iran.

A U.S. military spokesman, Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, alleged Wednesday that Iranian agents were trying to bribe Iraqi politicians to oppose the deal, although he said there was no evidence any Iraqi lawmakers had accepted the offer.

Al-Maliki can count on support from the main Kurdish parties but the positions of major Sunni and Shiite blocs is unclear, the aides added.

Anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's followers, who control 30 parliament seats, oppose the agreement. Sunni and other Shiite blocs appear split.

Bush administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other top Bush aides will soon begin briefing key members of Congress on the draft.

They said the draft may draw objections from U.S. lawmakers, whose support is not legally required but is considered essential to the eventual success of any deal, according to the officials.

However, the American negotiating teams have decided they cannot improve on the proposal and have sent it to higher-ups for a political decision as time runs out on both the Bush administration and the U.N. mandate.

Without a ratified agreement soon, the officials said Tuesday that the two sides would have to begin look more seriously at other options. Those include extending the U.N. authority, a move fraught with complications.

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