Iraqi Cabinet Urges Further Negotiation on Draft Accord

Gates told reporters for the Reuters and Agence France-Presse news services that the United States believed that the talks were near an end. "There is great reluctance to engage further in the drafting process," he said. "I don't think you slam the door shut, but I would say it's pretty far closed."

He expressed hope, however, that the different Iraqi positions would balance each other out and that the agreement would move forward.

The accord has been controversial in Iraq, where many people have been deeply critical of the continuing U.S. military presence. Provincial and national elections are expected next year, making politicians wary of taking pro-American stands. Anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, a rival of Maliki's who has a large following among the country's majority Shiites, has led protests against the accord, insisting on an immediate U.S. pullout.

Maliki has said that if the status-of-forces agreement with the United States does not pass by Dec. 31, he could seek an extension of the U.N. mandate. But Russia or other countries could oppose that move in a Security Council vote.

The cabinet's cool reaction to the draft agreement came just days after key members of Maliki's Shiite parliamentary bloc raised objections to it.

They called for a firm withdrawal date for all U.S. troops at the end of 2011, instead of current language that would permit American forces to stay under mutual agreement.

On Tuesday, police and army officials in Diyala province said U.S. military forces opened fire Monday night on a minibus, killing five people and wounding two. U.S. military officials denied the account, saying a military vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with a civilian vehicle, leaving five Iraqis dead.

Staff writers Karen DeYoung and Ann Scott Tyson in Washington and a special correspondent in Diyala contributed to this report.