Foreign Minister Murray McCully is on his way back to New Zealand from Iraq after a secret trip there to negotiate an agreement on the terms of deployment for 143 New Zealand military trainers in May.
Mr McCully held talks with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Ja'afari.
He issued a statement only today after leaving Iraq, for security reasons.
He is due back today and will report to Prime Minister and cabinet.
While it is not expected to be a traditional state of forces agreement, he is likely to have secured legal protection for New Zealand Defence Force personnel who injure or kill others in self-defence.
