George W. Bush, US president, and Nouri al-Maliki, Iraqi prime minister, have signed a declaration that paves the way for a possible long-term US presence in Iraq in addition to the restoration of full Iraqi sovereignty.

US and Iraqi officials said both countries would work towards extending the United Nations mandate that allows US and coalition troops to operate in Iraq for one more year. Washington and Baghdad have also agreed to work towards then replacing the mandate with a US-Iraqi security agreement.