Bush praises new Iraqi government.(Chicago Tribune)

Byline: Cam Simpson

WASHINGTON _ With the selection Tuesday of an interim Iraqi government, the Bush administration now faces one of its most delicate diplomatic tasks as it begins working out a formal deal establishing new rules for U.S.-led troops who will remain in the country.

That agreement will require not only the blessing of the interim Iraqi government, which the U.S. has repeatedly asserted will be "fully sovereign" when it takes power June 30, but also the approval of the international community.

How much sway the Iraqis will have over military operations on their own soil will also be crucial in determining how much legitimacy the new government receives from the Iraqi people, according to experts and diplomats.

On Tuesday night, the U.S. and Britain inched the process forward as they offered their second draft resolution on Iraq to the United Nations Security Council, although the newest proposal seemed to do little to clarify crucial questions surrounding the military mandate.

The two men picked to lead the Iraqi interim government have stated their desire to see limits placed on the foreign troops who will remain in Iraq after the planned dissolution of the U.S.-led occupation authority June 30.

Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawar, who was chosen Tuesday to be the interim president, criticized the earlier Security Council draft for failing to give the interim regime clear authority to request a U.S. withdrawal.