Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki warns the country's vice president to withdraw his veto power from a much awaited election law.

Harshly criticizing Tariq al-Hashimi, he said that the use of his veto right and persisting with it would put the country's security, economy and constitution at grave risk.

The dispute which is forcing the country's January parliament election to be postponed will have no effect in the withdrawal of US forces from the country, Maliki told the Associated Press in an interview on Thursday.

Maliki said that United States' linking of Iraq's election to its troop withdrawal, including the end of the military's combat mission by the end of August, is "meaningless".

He went on to add that the 2011 date for a full pullout was "sacred and final."

Al-Hashimi has previously vetoed the election law because he wanted more seats for Iraqis abroad, most of whom are members of Iraq's Sunni Arab minority.

But Iraq's Federal Supreme Court blocked the veto attempt on Thursday, Nov. 19, arguing that election organizers, and not the law, decide on how many seats should be allocated to Iraqi nationals living outside the country.

FTP/SS/MMA