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BAGHDAD, June 12-- Baghdad and Washington Thursday launched an initial session of strategic dialogue with the aim of discussing bilateral ties and deciding the future of the presence of the U.S. forces in Iraq. A joint statement on website of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that senior officials from both sides held the talks in accordance with the Strategic Framework Agreement signed in 2008 between the two sides. The session focused on the fate of the U.S.-led troops deployed in Iraq after 2017, in addition to issues of security and counterterrorism, economy and energy, political and cultural relations. The United States pledged that it would continue reducing its forces in Iraq, according to the joint statement. | 
