Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari talks to reporters after signing with U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker the pact that will let U.S. troops stay in Iraq until 2011 after it was approved by Iraq's cabinet at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry in Baghdad November 17, 2008. The pact, agreed after nearly a year of gruelling negotiations with Washington, must still be approved by the Iraqi parliament, but Zebari said he expected that to happen by the end of the month.

BAGHDAD, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker signed on Monday the long-awaited security pact which would allow U.S. forces to remain in the country for another three years, an official television reported.

"This is a historic day for the Iraqi and U.S. relations after signing the security agreement following months of negotiations," Zebari said during the signing ceremony aired by the Iraqia state-run television.

He said that the agreement has been sent to the parliament for approval, and "the final word would be for the parliament, where there is positive atmosphere among the political leaders."

On Sunday, the Iraqi cabinet almost unanimously approved the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and another agreement of bilateral cooperation in various fields between the two countries.

"The cabinet has just approved the security agreement between Iraq and United States unanimously," government spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh told news conference in Baghdad.

He said that 27 cabinet members out of 28 attended Sunday's meeting voted in favor of the agreement.

The draft of the pact was sent Sunday to the parliament, which will discuss the document and vote on it later.

The SOFA draft pact stated, among other things, that the U.S. troops will withdraw from Iraq's cities, towns and villages by June 30 next year to their bases and will leave the country on Dec.31, 2011, according to Dabbagh.

The United States welcomed the approval of the SOFA, with National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe describing it as "an important and positive step."

"While the process is not yet complete, we remain hopeful and confident we'll soon have an agreement that serves both the people of Iraq and the United States well and sends a signal to the region and the world that both our governments are committed to a stable, secure and democratic Iraq," the White House official said.

For months, the two countries were at odds over the agreement, which the U.S. needs as a legitimate support for the station of its troops beyond 2008 after the current UN mandate ends on Dec. 31.