From Gulf News

Baghdad: Iraq’s prime minister says the handover of the heavily fortified Green Zone and the presidential palace is the most visible sign his country has regained its sovereignty.

Nouri Al Maliki spoke on Thursday during a ceremony marking the takeover by Iraqi authority of Saddam Hussain’s large palace.

The takeover is part of a security deal with the United States. After the 2003 US-led invasion the palace had served as the US Embassy and headquarters of the US military in Iraq.