Iraq's PM Maliki to visit U.S. soon - source

BAGHDAD, July 9 (Reuters) Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki plans to discuss with US President George W Bush giving more security powers to his government when he visits Washington soon, a senior Shi'ite official today said.

''The defence, interior ministries and the government in general want more powers in moving and solving the security problems,'' said the official from the ruling Shi'ite Alliance.

''Everything is in the hands of the Multi-National Forces and the security situation is getting worse, so he is going to discuss this,'' he added.

Iraqi officials have argued that the Iraqi security forces are not ready yet to completely take over from US-led troops.

Maliki went to Iraq's northern Kurdistan region on Sunday for talks with Kurdish leaders in a two-day visit, and was planning to head to Washington in one week, the official said.

The United States has restricted the powers of Iraqi police and security forces after the discovery last year of a bunker run by the Interior Ministry in which prisoners were abused.

Baghdad witnessed one of its bloodiest days of sectarian street killings on Sunday when Shi'ite gunmen gunned down dozens of people in a Sunni district a day after a bomb killed three in a Shi'ite mosque in the capital.

Maliki said last month that his troops would take over security in the southern province of Muthanna in July, where the British oversee a multinational contingent.

Transferring security to Iraq's fledgling security forces is a key part of British and US plans to withdraw troops from Iraq.

REUTERS SY PM2040