BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. military formally handed authority over Baghdad's "Green Zone" to Iraqis on Thursday as new pacts governing the mission of international troops replaced a U.N. mandate. An Iraqi honor guard parades outside the former palace of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad on Thursday. Iraqi troops took over checkpoints around the heavily protected district, formally known as the International Zone, which houses Iraqi government offices and the U.S. Embassy. Saddam Hussein's Republican Palace, which served as U.S. headquarters in Baghdad after the 2003 invasion that ousted Iraq's longtime strongman, was among the facilities handed over in Thursday's ceremony.
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U.N. mandate authorizing foreign troop presence expired Wednesday
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New bilateral pact covers U.S. presence until 2011
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U.S. troops to leave Iraqi cities by end of June
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"This day is a great day in the history of the Iraqi people," @placeholder military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta said.
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Perkins said American troops will continue to fight alongside @placeholder -- "but the Iraqis will be in the lead."
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Perkins said American troops will continue to fight alongside Iraqis -- "but the @placeholder will be in the lead."
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"When you come up to a checkpoint, the @placeholder will check your identification.
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"We will continue to be there to provide some technical capacity, to provide some mentoring, but you will see less and less @placeholder forces and more and more Iraqi forces -- and they will have the majority of the responsibility for making those key decisions which determine the security of the capital."
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The agreement authorizes the "temporary assistance" of @placeholder forces but severely restricts their role.