Timetable Needed to End 'Foreign Presence' in Iraq: PM

Iraq is ready to be rid of US troops, its prime minister said today, and he wants a timetable. “We are looking at the necessity of terminating the foreign presence on Iraqi lands and restoring full sovereignty,” Nouri al-Maliki told Arab diplomats, saying the “memorandum of understanding” being negotiated with the US would include either outright departure or a timetable, Reuters reports.

Maliki also wants a deal to include greater Iraqi control over foreign operations. "This means the phenomena of unilateral detention will be over, as well as unilateral operations," he said. The comments will likely be popular with Iraq’s neighbors, and drew applause from the Sadrist faction. “This is a step in the right direction,” a spokesman said. “We hope Maliki will show seriousness about it.” (More Iraq stories.)