No. 2 Leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq Killed

U.S. and Iraqi officials on Wednesday denied media reports that they had reached final agreement on all elements of an accord governing the U.S. troop presence in Iraq. Iraqi officials said senior government and political leaders met to consider proposed compromise wording on the chief outstanding issue -- U.S. insistence that it have complete legal jurisdiction over any crimes committed by U.S. military and Defense Department personnel. The Iraqis have said that provision would violate their sovereignty.

With the approach of a Dec. 31 deadline for having an agreement in place, Congress has renewed its insistence that it be allowed to review the text of any deal before it is finalized. Leading Democrats and a number of Republicans have complained that the Bush administration has not complied with an earlier pledge to consult them throughout the negotiations. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.) said in a statement that he had not seen any proposed agreement but was "skeptical" of any deal that would "subject U.S. servicemen and women to the jurisdiction of Iraqi courts."

Several congressional leaders were told late Wednesday that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would brief them Thursday morning on the negotiations, and the White House scheduled a Friday briefing for congressional staff.

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. military said Odierno's assertion that Iran has sought to bribe Iraqi lawmakers to influence their votes on the agreement in "no way infers" that any Iraqi officials have accepted such bribes.

Some lawmakers reacted angrily at the suggestion that their votes could be bought after Odierno's statement, made in an interview with The Washington Post, was published Monday.

Staff writer Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report.