The withdrawal of US troops by the end of 2011 is a "historic occasion for the Iraqi people," Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Saturday, DPA repoted.
"We have turned the page of military work and moved to a new phase of diplomatic cooperation between Iraq and the United States on the basis of mutual respect," al-Maliki told reporters.
"The withdrawal of US troops removes all justifications for terrorist groups to the bloodshed in Iraq," he said.
US President Barack Obama said Friday that all US troops will leave Iraq, after talks failed between Washington and Baghdad that would have kept some soldiers in the country longer.
The talks had reportedly broken down over the Iraqi government's reluctance to grant legal immunity to troops who would have remained after December, a key prerequisite for Washington to keep soldiers there after the long agreed upon deadline for total withdrawal.
The Iraqis had expressed support for keeping 5,000 troops in the country as military trainers, but without legal immunity.
However, the possibility of training remains, as al-Maliki said Saturday that there "will be trainers without immunity but numbers were not determined yet."
Washington has said that training could take the form of teaching Iraqis new weapon systems or conducting joint naval exercises.
Less than 50,000 US soldiers remaining in Iraq are due to leave the country by the end of 2011, under a Status of Forces Agreement negotiated by the George W Bush administration in 2008.
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