U.S. and Iraq to set "time horizon" on troops

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By Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and IraqiPrime Minister Nuri al-Maliki have agreed that a security dealunder negotiation should set a "time horizon" for reducing U.S.forces in Iraq, the White House said on Friday.

In the closest the Bush administration has come toacknowledging the likelihood of some kind of timetable forfuture U.S. troop cuts, the White House said there would be"aspirational goals" based on "continued improving conditionson the ground and not an arbitrary date for withdrawal."

Iraqi and U.S. officials have been working in fits andstarts on a formal Status of Forces Agreement to provide alegal basis for U.S. troops to remain when an U.N. mandateexpires at the end of the year.

Maliki had recently suggested a timetable be set for U.S.withdrawal, but U.S. officials have been much more cautiousdespite the security gains.

The White House said Bush and Maliki, speaking in a securevideoconference on Thursday, "agreed on a common way forward toconclude these negotiations as soon as possible."

"In the area of security cooperation, the president and theprime minister agreed that improving conditions should allowfor the agreements now under negotiation to include a generaltime horizon for meeting aspirational goals -- such as theresumption of Iraqi security control in their cities andprovinces and the further reduction of U.S. combat forces fromIraq," the White House said.

Bush has steadfastly rejected the notion of a timeframe fortroop withdrawals, saying it would help insurgents in theirefforts to overthrow the fragile Iraqi government.

Bush's Democratic critics, including presidential candidateBarack Obama, have repeatedly called for such an exit strategyfrom the unpopular war.

(Editing by Doina Chiacu)