BAGHDAD, July 3 (UPI) -- Several Iraqi legislators Sunday demanded the Iraqi government exert pressure for a timetable for the withdrawal of the U.S.-led forces from the country.
During a session on Iraqi sovereignty in the 275-member National Assembly, several lawmakers insisted that extending the presence of foreign forces in their country was illegal because it "ignored the will of the people and their representatives."
The demands came a week after 83 lawmakers signed a memo saying the Iraqi government's request to the U.N. Security Council seeking an extension of the U.S.-led military presence in the country had been made without the approval of Parliament.
Legislators Sunday proposed gradual withdrawal from the cities and towns as a first step towards a complete withdrawal while speeding up preparation of the Iraqi security forces to take control of matters.
Some also demanded the U.S. embassy in Baghdad move out of the presidential palace in the "Green Zone" on the grounds it represented a symbol of the country's sovereignty.
