BY JING ZHAO

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The Iraqi government announced this week it was willing to negotiate with the U.S. about keeping some forces in Iraq after the end of the year. CSPAN reports:

“Iraq' s president and prime minister have agreed to quickly consider that offer, but Iraq’s parliament -- who must approve giving troops immunity -- are leery of extending U.S. military’s presence past the current Dec.1 deadline.”

The New York Times reports, the decision on whether U.S

“Under a 2008 agreement between the two countries, about 48,000 American troops remaining in Iraq must leave by the end of 2011. As part of that agreement, the Iraqi government ultimately decides if it wants some troops to remain.”

Many Iraqi leaders are still nervous about their military’s ability to control some of the more violent regions. The Iraqi news site Rudaw reports, the disputed regions around Kurdistan are one such area.

“The US withdrawal leaves Iraqi and Kurdish forces to man checkpoints and protect a wide range of ethnically diverse and volatile areas. ... Some Iraqi leaders, mainly Kurdish MPs, argue that some US troops should remain in Iraq beyond their withdrawal deadline to help Iraqi forces with training.”

But the idea of a continued U.S. presence faces some opposition. CNN reports -- Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has vowed a return to violence if U.S. troops stick around.

“On Sunday, dozens of tribal leaders loyal to al-Sadr set up tents in eastern Baghdad and vowed to battle the ‘occupiers’ if American troops are allowed to remain. Al-Sadr's followers now hold 39 seats in Iraq's 325-seat."

Although a U.S. military presence after 2011 will probably be unpopular in both Iraq and the U.S., the Washington Post reports both U.S. and Iraqi officials are worried about a nearby threat.

“U.S. officials also want troops to stay in Iraq as a check on Iran … Privately, some Iraqi lawmakers also want the U.S. military to continue serving as a counterweight to Iran, but they rarely say so publicly for fear of defying widespread Iraqi opposition to U.S. forces.”

The length and focus of any training programs -- as well as the number of U.S. troops involved -- are still being negotiated.

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Transcript by Newsy.