Puppet wants to hold his own strings [View All]

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BAGHDAD, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Tuesday that time has passed for the United States to put pressure on Iraq.

Maliki's comments came at a joint news conference with the French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who paid a visit to Baghdad earlier in the day.

"I think talking about putting pressures on Iraq is over," Maliki told reporters, referring to comments by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden who said that his government would put pressures on the Iraqi government for more reforms.

"The Iraqi national unity government knows what are its responsibilities and we are seriously moving toward the political reforms and we are in the last step of the national reconciliation efforts," Maliki said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/10/content_10796514.htm