Iraq government demands US pull-out timetable

Refusing to enter any further agreements without a firm timetable for an end to the US's de facto occupation of Iraq, Iraqi national security advisor, Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, seemed to draw the proverbial line in the sand.

According to the Washington Post:

Iraq's national security advisor said Tuesday that his government would not sign an agreement governing the future role of U.S. troops in Iraq unless it includes a timetable for their withdrawal.

The statement was the strongest yet by an Iraqi official regarding the politically controversial negotiations between Iraq and the United States over the U.S. military role in Iraq. A United Nations mandate that sanctions the presence of U.S. troops in the country expires in December.

Speaking to reporters in the holy city of Najaf, National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie declined to provide specific dates, but said his government is "impatiently waiting" for the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops.

"There should not be any permanent bases in Iraq unless these bases are under Iraqi control," Rubaie said.