Maliki Says U.S. Iraq Pull-Out to Proceed as Scheduled

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said U.S. forces will leave Iraq as scheduled by year's end, and that there will not be any permanent U.S. bases in the country, a statement from his office said on Tuesday.

"The agreement on the withdrawal of American forces will be implemented on schedule by the end of the year, and there will not be any bases for U.S. forces here," Maliki told Al-Ittijah TV channel in an interview to be broadcast later, it said.

Iraqi leaders have approved negotiations with the United States on a post-2011 training mission, but no deal has yet been announced.

However, an extension of the U.S. military presence in Iraq has been strongly opposed by some, notably by anti-U.S. cleric Moqtada al-Sadr who has warned of "war" if American forces stay.

Unless Baghdad and Washington reach a new accord, all of the roughly 46,000 U.S. troops still in the country must leave by December 31, under the terms of a 2008 security agreement.