The spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Major General Yahia Rasool, confirmed: "The negotiating committees have reached good stages in the matter of transferring the mission of the international coalition."

Major General Rasool said in a televised statement: "The government has succeeded, to a large extent, in reducing the targeting of Iraqi military bases in which advisors from the international coalition are present."

He added: "When we deal with the United States, we have a military security agreement with it, and the negotiating committees have reached good stages in the matter of transferring the mission of the international coalition as Iraq has good relations with the United States."

Source: National Iraqi News Agency