.... In a statement, Maliki's office said the prime minister made the comments about the security pact - which will replace a U.N. mandate for the presence of U.S. troops that expires on December 31 - to Arab ambassadors in the United Arab Emirates.
"In all cases, the basis for any agreement will be respect for the full sovereignty of Iraq," the statement quoted Maliki as saying. "The current trend is to reach an agreement on a memorandum of understanding either for the departure of the forces or a memorandum of understanding to put a timetable on their withdrawal."