Obama affirms post-pullout commitment to Iraq

US president Barack Obama has declared that American troops will leave Iraq this month "with honor and with their heads held high", while at the same time warning the country's neighbours not to interfere in its progress.

In a press conference held on Monday with Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, Obama called the announcement a "historic moment", as the war in Iraq will end on December 31 after nearly nine years.

The president also said that the US would leave behind a sovereign and self-reliant Iraq, and that the removal of troops begins a new chapter in the relationship between the two countries - warning neighbouring nations not to interfere.

"Our strong presence in the Middle East endures," Obama said. "And the United States will never waiver in the defense of our allies, our partners and our interests."

Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane, reporting from Washington, said Obama issued the warning "directly towards Iran".

"That is the concern, that at the end of the day the Iraqi officials have much closer ties to the Iranians." Obama, she said, was in effect, warning Iran to "stay out".

Obama acknowledged differences between Washington and Baghdad on how to deal with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government's crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, but said Maliki was acting in Iraq's best interests.

For his part, Maliki thanked the US for its continued assistance in helping rebuild Iraq and said that his country's relationship with the US would not end with the departure of the last American soldier.

Maliki insisted that Iraq would need foreign expertise to help it exploit its natural resources and progress in politics, commerce and education.

In regards to Syria, Maliki raised concerns about the risk of sectarian violence in that country spilling into Iraq and said that he wanted the Syrian situation resolved peacefully.

As of late last week, the number of US troops in Iraq had dwindled to about 8,000, down from 170,000 at the war's peak in 2007.

Later on Monday, Obama and Maliki laid wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery, where many of the nearly 4,500 Americans killed in the Iraq war have been buried. The war also claimed the lives of an estimated 114,000 Iraqis.

Al Jazeera