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Britain, Iraq to begin negotiations on troop presence

  • Story Highlights
  • Deal would focus on troops after U.N. Security Council mandate expires
  • British defense secretary, on surprise visit to Iraq, met with Iraqi prime minister
  • Iraqi prime minister invites British companies to invest in Iraq rebuilding
  • Roadside bombs explode in Iraq, killing two people
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- British and Iraqi officials will begin negotiating a deal that will allow British forces to remain in Iraq beyond the end of the year, when a U.N. Security Council mandate on their presence expires.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki made the announcement Sunday after meeting with British Defense Secretary John Hutton.

The United States is also trying to reach an agreement with Iraq to maintain a military presence beyond 2008.

"The Prime Minister said that if the constitutional institutions approve the agreement between Iraq and the United States, this will facilitate the convening of an agreement with Britain regarding the future of its troops in Iraq," a statement from al-Maliki's office said.

Hutton, who took over the secretary's job on October 3, arrived Sunday in Baghdad on a surprise one-day visit to Iraq.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in July his country will withdraw some of its troops from Iraq by the beginning of next year.

Al-Maliki's statement also invited British companies to invest in his country and take part in the rebuilding and reconstruction effort.

In an interview with The Times of London last week, al-Maliki said the 4,000 British troops in southern Iraq are no longer needed to provide security. He added that his country needed a few troops to train Iraqi security forces.

Also Sunday, two roadside bombs in southeast Baghdad's Zafaraniya district killed two people and wounded several others.

The first blast went off near a fuel station, according to Interior Ministry official. It killed two civilians and wounded 10 other people, including two traffic police officers.

A second roadside bomb exploded at a police patrol near an outdoor market, the Interior Ministry said. The explosion wounded seven people: three police officers and four bystanders.

Hours later, a third roadside bomb struck an Iraqi police patrol in Baghdad's western Ghazaliya neighborhood, wounding five people -- two police officers and three bystanders -- the ministry said.

CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.

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