Iraq's prime minister said July 7 his country wants some type of timetable for a withdrawal of American troops included in the deal the two countries are negotiating.

It was the first time that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has explicitly and publicly called for a withdrawal timetable — an idea opposed by U.S. President George W. Bush.

He offered no details. But his national security adviser, Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, said that the government is proposing a timetable conditioned on the ability of Iraqi forces to provide security.

Some type of agreement is needed to keep U.S. troops in Iraq after a U.N. mandate expires at year's end. But many Iraqi lawmakers have criticized the government's attempt to negotiate a formal status of forces agreement, worried that U.S. demands would threaten the country's sovereignty.