Another al-Maliki adviser, Sadeq al-Rikabi, said the contract would be temporary since the U.N. mandate under which the United States operates in Iraq will expire at the end of the year, to be replaced by a bilateral agreement under negotiation.
By contrast, the U.S. Commerce Department (roughly MITI's counterpart) was unable to play a corresponding role despite the spirit of then-pending legislation (the Bingaman amendment to the FY1989 DOD Authorization Act) requiring Defense to consult with Commerce in the negotiation of bilateral memorandums of understanding.
The JCC sessions will also lay the groundwork for ultimate negotiation of a full-blown bilateral Trade Agreement, of the type abrogated by the Soviet Union in early 1975 over the Jackson-Vanik amendment.
The two leaders also discussed Afghanistan and our ongoing consultations with the Afghan Government, including negotiation of a U.S.-Afghanistan Bilateral Security Agreement.
The transfer of advanced U.S. technology and arrangements for some "flow-back" of Japanese innovations were authorized by a bilateral agreement between the two governments concluded in November 1988 after years of negotiation.