BAGHDAD — Iraq's three-member presidential council today approved a security pact with the United States setting out a three-year time frame for the full withdrawal of American troops, a spokesman said.

The panel's decision marked the final step for the agreement to replace a U.N. mandate that expires on Dec. 31.

Iraq's parliament signed off on the deal last week following months of tough talks between U.S. and Iraqi negotiators that at times seemed on the point of collapse. The entire process has been fraught with hardscrabble deal making between ethnic and sectarian groups.

President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and his two deputies Tariq al-Hashemi, a Sunni Arab, and Adel Abdul-Mahdi, a Shiite, signed the accord at their headquarters in Baghdad, council spokesman Nasser al-Ani told The Associated Press.

The agreement provides a legal basis for American troops in Iraq after the expiration of the U.N. mandate, but it includes the caveat that it should go before voters in a referendum to be held by the end of July.

Under the deal, U.S. forces will withdraw from Iraqi cities by June 30 and the entire country by Jan. 1, 2012.

BANGKOK, Thailand — Thailand's ailing king today failed to deliver his traditional birthday speech, which many Thais had hoped would help resolve the country's political paralysis and unify a divided nation.Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn went on national radio to inform Thais that King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who turns 81 on Friday, was unable to deliver the speech "because he was a little sick.""The king has said to thank (you) for the wishes given out of loyalty. He wants to return the good wishes. He wants everyone to have strong mental and physical health to perform their duties for the public," said Vajiralongkorn, the king's son.Many Thais were eagerly awaiting the king's speech, hoping to receive guidance on how Thailand, which is just recovering from a weeklong seizure of its two main airports by anti-government activists, can resolve its political crisis.