BAGHDAD, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Monday that negotiations with Washington over a new security deal is going on to set either a framework for the U.S. troops' departure or setting a timetable for the troops' withdrawal.

    "The current trend is to reach either a memorandum of understanding for the departure of the troops, or a memorandum of understanding for setting a timetable for its withdrawal," a statement from Maliki's office in Baghdad quoted him as saying during a meeting with a group of Arab ambassadors in Abu Dhabi.

    "The negotiations are still continuing with the American side," Maliki said in the United Arab Emirates, where he is on a visit.

    Maliki also reaffirmed that Iraq's sovereignty would be respected. "In all cases, the base for any agreement is the full respect for the sovereignty of Iraq," the statement quoted Maliki as saying.

    Baghdad and Washington are currently holding talks aimed at reaching a deal on a continuing U.S. military presence in Iraq after a United Nations mandate expires in December.

    U.S. President George W. Bush and Maliki agreed on a declaration of principles last November to sign a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) by the end of July that would decide the future presence of U.S. troops in Iraq and long-term bilateral economic, political and security relations.

    Last week, Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said that the United States had shown flexibility in negotiations with Iraq on the security pact.

    However, Zebari warned that if his country fails to sign a strategic framework agreement with the United States, it will be obliged to demand an extension for the UN mandate until the country build its own security forces.