The United States on Wednesday expressed confidence that Iraqi lawmakers will approve a controversial military pact that allows US troops to remain in Iraq until the end of 2011.

`We think we`re on a good trajectory right now,` said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, who dismissed talk that Washington is working on a contingency plan if the Iraqi parliament rejects the agreement.

`Our focus is on Plan A and trying to get Plan A to work, which is to get this agreement done,` she told reporters.

`All we need to do is to have them have the reading, let the parliament debate, as you would in a democratic society, and then have a vote. We think they`ll be able to do it later this week, or early next week, or next week.`

Perino said Bush administration officials were in the US Congress on Wednesday for briefings on the plan, and said the US secretaries of state and defense would soon discuss the accord with US lawmakers.