BAGHDAD , Iraq ( CNN ) -- After heated arguments , the Iraqi parliament turned down the first draft of a bill Saturday that would have allowed foreign troops , including British forces , to remain in Iraq after the U.N. mandate expires on December 31 . A British soldier attends an Iraqi army training session Thursday in Iraq 's Basra province . Kurdish legislator Mahmoud Othman said the measure was sent back to Iraqi Cabinet members for reworking before resubmitting it to lawmakers . There is no parliamentary deadline for the measure to pass . The bill does not apply to U.S. troops because the United States last month reached a Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqi government that calls for American troops to leave Iraqi cities by June 2009 , and to be out of Iraq by the end of 2011 . But after December 31 other foreign troops would not be authorized to remain in Iraq . This could cause a problem for Britain , which has the second-largest number of troops in Iraq after the United States . Britain was the leading U.S. ally during the invasion of Iraq and still has about 4,000 troops based outside the southern city of Basra . Five other nations -- Albania , Australia , El Salvador , Estonia and Romania -- have a total of fewer than 2,000 troops Iraq , according to the Multi-National Force-Iraq Web site . British troops will begin leaving Iraq in May 2009 , Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in a joint statement with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki during a visit to Iraq on Wednesday . Watch the planning to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq » . Othman said some legislators argued that the bill had not been assigned to committees , as is the custom before a measure 's first reading . The session became so contentious that the speaker threatened to resign , lawmakers said . Lawmakers will take a holiday break for Christmas and New Year but could be called back into session by the parliament speaker , Othman said . Watch Britain 's PM talk on withdrawing UK troops » . Wrangling over the bill on non-U.S. troops began Wednesday when the first reading took place . CNN 's Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report .
Measure sent back to Iraqi Cabinet members for reworking , lawmaker says . It would have allowed foreign troops to remain in Iraq after December 31 . Bill does n't apply to U.S. troops , who are to be out of Iraq by the end of 2011 . Comment: