In Baghdad U.S. Embassy spokesman Armand Cucciniello said it was clear to the U.S. that al-Maliki “was referring to the first draft” and that negotiations would continue, "based on the fundamental principle of Iraqi sovereignty. We are looking forward to a successful conclusion of the negotiations." Meanwhile, the status of forces negotiations were the backdrop for an announcement by rebel Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr that he had created a special branch of his militia that would be allowed to carry weapons and attack American troops. Full Article at Lawrence Journal World