In this image released by the Iraqi government, Iraq's Cabinet votes to approve a security pact with the United States during a session in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008. Iraq's Cabinet on Sunday approved a security pact with the United States that will allow American forces to stay in Iraq for three years after their U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year, the government said. The decision followed months of difficult negotiations and, pending parliamentary approval, will remove a major point of contention between the two allies. (AP Photo/Iraqi Government, HO)
