Iraqi VP: Sovereignty for Baghdad a must

BAGHDAD, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi says any security agreement with the United States must guarantee full sovereignty for Baghdad.

"I think that we are not in need of an agreement that does not guarantee sovereignty and brings Iraq out from under Chapter VII, and also guarantees Iraqi law as a whole," Hashimi told reporters Thursday during a tour of the Adhamiya district.

Hashemi said negotiations on the proposed security agreement have stalled on those "important and sensitive issues," reported KUNA, the Kuwait news agency reported Friday.

Other issues yet to be settled include the timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and whether U.S. troops can be prosecuted for crimes under Iraq's judiciary system, KUNA reported.