Gates told reporters he had received a "generally positive response" from four lawmakers he had consulted, including Republican candidate John McCain, "but clearly they are looking forward to seeing the exact text."

"I think that there is not a reason to be concerned," Gates said at a news conference.

While Gates talked to McCain, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke to Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate, about the text negotiated with the Iraqis, a State Department spokesman said.

Details have not been made public but officials have previously said agreement was reached on a timeline for a withdrawal of all US combat troops from Iraq by the end of 2011.

A key point of contention in the months-long negotiations has been whether US troops and contractors would fall exclusively under US jurisdiction if accused of serious crimes in Iraq.

Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said this week he would be skeptical of any agreement that would subject US military personnel to Iraqi law "in the middle of a chaotic war and in the absence of a judicial system that has been proven to be fair and protective of the rights of individuals."

The status of forces agreement would replace a UN mandate as the legal basis for the US military presence in Iraq.

Gates said General David Petraeus, soon to be commander of US forces in the Middle East, and General Raymond Odierno, the US commander in Iraq, had both been deeply involved in the negotiations

He said that Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Petraeus, and Odierno "are all satisfied that our men and women in uniform serving in Iraq are well protected."

Explaining the decision to brief Obama, State Department spokesman Sean McCormak said either he or McCain "is going to be president come January."

"And so just in terms of the courtesy and protocol aspects of this and the practical aspects of this, we thought it was appropriate to make those calls," McCormack said.

"And Senator Obama is on the oversight committee for the State Department, so the decision was made that it was appropriate for Secretary Rice to call him."

In addition to Obama, Rice called Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The calls were made in support of the text and to explain "to these members of Congress... what was in the text and the thinking behind it. And, again, where we are in the process," McCormack said.

earlier related report
US briefs presidential candidates on Iraq troop deal
Cabinet officials have briefed both US presidential candidates about the status of a draft agreement with Baghdad on the future presence of US troops in Iraq, a US official said Friday.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday telephoned Democratic candidate Barack Obama while Defense Secretary Robert Gates called Republican John McCain, Rice's spokesman told reporters.

The top diplomat called Obama as well as his vice presidential pick Joseph Biden, in their roles on the Senate foreign affairs committee which oversees the State Department.

Spokesman Sean McCormack added that Gates spoke to McCain because he serves on the Senate Armed Forces Committee, which oversees the Defense Department.

He also said it was "appropriate" for the secretaries to brief the two candidates because one of them would become president in January.

Gates told reporters Friday he had received a "generally positive response" from the four lawmakers he had consulted, including McCain, "but clearly they are looking forward to seeing the exact text."

"I think that there is not a reason to be concerned," Gates said at a news conference.

The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) would replace a UN mandate as the legal basis for the US military presence in Iraq, and also set in motion a timeline for the withdrawal of US combat forces from Iraq by the end of 2011.

Morrell said the agreement reached by US and Iraqi negotiators would not be final until it had been approved by leaders in both countries, but it was close enough that Gates had decided to consult key members of Congress.

But Bill Delahunt, a Democratic member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the Bush administration has failed to fully brief Congress on the draft, details of which he gleaned from news reports.

"Let's have some transparency," Delahunt told AFP in a telephone interview, adding it amounts to a treaty which requires Congressional approval.

Delahunt said he feared the draft's language is vague enough that it will expose US troops to the "undue risk of prosecution" in Iraq, and that it will require taxpayer funds the nation can ill-afford during the financial crisis.

"We can't continue to ask the taxpayers to bear this burden," he said. "At the same time the Iraqi government is running a surplus in the neighborhood of 70 billion dollars."

Delahant, one of the few voices demanding Congressional approval for the deal, said he has also seen no efforts by the administration to consider extending the UN mandate, if negotiations with the Iraqis collapse.

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