Iraq Votes To Oust US Troops

The Iraqi Cabinet on Sunday approved a security pact that would set the terms for U.S. troops in Iraq.
The agreement sets June 30, 2009, as the deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from all Iraqi cities and towns, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.
The date for all troops to leave Iraq will be December 31, 2011, he said.
These dates are "set and fixed" and are "not subject to the circumstances on the ground," he said.
Twenty-seven of the 40 Cabinet members in attendance voted in favor of the agreement, said Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. One minister abstained.
The Cabinet consists of the prime minister, two deputy prime ministers, and 37 other ministers.
The approved draft will be sent to the 275-seat Parliament later Sunday, where it will be put to another vote. "There is great optimism that they will pass it," said Industry Minister Fawzi Hariri.
Al-Dabbagh said the Parliament speaker and his deputies will decide when the Parliament will vote on the agreement. He said there were "positive attitudes" when the major political blocs met to discuss the draft plan on Saturday.
Zebari said the Parliament will reach a decision before it takes a 15-day recess on November 25.