Baghdad (NINA)- Daily press on Tuesday mainly highlighted the developments in the negotiations over the intended cooperation agreement with the United States and preparations to launch Maysan security operation.

Agreement
Al-Sabah quoted "informed sources" as revealing that an agreement was reached that Premier Nouri al-Maliki would undertake leading the Iraqi negotiating team on the two aspects of the long-term agreement with the United States. The paper said that the Kurdistani Alliance MP Mahmoud Othman has stated that President Talabani is expected to discuss with President Bush and other US officials the Iraqi demands in the negotiations related to the intended bilateral agreement. The demands mainly focus on not violating Iraq's sovereignty or affecting Iraqi people's interests, according to Othman.

Al-Ittihad reported a comment by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari last Monday, assuring that the bilateral agreement will be signed by the pre-set deadline late on next July, "despite all difficulties." Zebari said the negotiations are still on, adding that Premier Maliki's statements last Friday in Amman on reaching a dead end "were misunderstood."

Over reports that the Political Council of National Security has authorized PM al-Maliki to lead the Iraqi negotiating team, Addustour quoted Maliki's Media advisor Yaseen Majeed as denying the news, asserting that protocol customs bans PM maliki's heading the Iraqi delegation, while the US delegation is headed by the US ambassador to Iraq.

Maysan operation
Regarding the preparations to launch the intended security operation in Maysan province, Azzaman quoted the interior ministry's head of operations centre as saying that the operation's measures would not exclude any official in the province, regardless of his senior position or political affiliation. He further noted that the operation aims at hunting down gunmen groups that have fled other provinces and resorted to Maysan, using the province as a safe heaven.

Al-Mada quoted Iraqi Army's Deputy Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Naseer al-Ebadi as saying that Iraqi forces have accomplished deployment in such a way that would ensure full control of the province, adding that the Iraqi Air Force would provide reconnaissance, observation and air support to assist the ground troops taking part in the operations. /End/