IRBIL, Iraq — Vice President Dick Cheney came away Tuesday with pledges from Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds to firm up a new blueprint for U.S.-Iraq relations that will stretch beyond the Bush presidency.
Cheney flew to Iraqi Kurdistan to finish two days of meetings with politicians. A key topic was about crafting a long-term agreement between the U.S. and Iraq, plus a narrower deal to define the legal basis for continued U.S. troop presence.
The deal would take the place of a U.N. Security Council resolution that expires in December. The administration says the deal will not seek permanent U.S. bases in Iraq or codify troop levels, nor tie the hands of a future commander in chief.
Administration officials say they probably will not seek Senate approval because the agreement will not be a treaty that provides Iraq with specific security guarantees.
