One of Iraq's most powerful Shia leaders, Abdel Aziz Hakim, demanded the government to have a say in security operations being conducted by U.S. forces.

Hakim said raids on party offices, arrests of politicians and operations involving aircrafts should all be agreed in advance between Iraqi and U.S. commanders.

Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), said a security agreement was needed in order to define the responsibilities of Iraqi and U.S. leaders, his office said.

"We are endeavoring to conclude this security deal," he said at a meeting in Baghdad on Wednesday in the governing coalition headed by Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, of which SCIRI is a part.

Hakim had stressed at the meeting that the focus should be on "arrests, air traffic and other issues," the statement said.

MP/KB