Plans to keep a small number of American army trainers in Iraq after a year-end deadline for US forces to pull out are gaining traction among political leaders, Baghdad's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Hoshyar Zebari's remarks to reporters come a day after Iraq's President Jalal Talabani said there is a greater acceptance among politicians that a limited number of American trainers will be needed, as US officials press their counterparts in Baghdad to decide soon on a possible future presence.

"The SOFA will expire at the end of 2011," Zebari said, referring to a bilateral security pact which requires all American soldiers to leave at the end of this year.

"It would be difficult to renew it, to extend it as such, but I think there is a greater understanding (of) the need for military trainers," he said.

"This is the latest thing -- this idea that the Iraqi forces still are not ready, are not totally prepared, so they may need trainers," Zebari said, adding such a contingent would not be "in large numbers," without elaborating.

Some 47,000 US troops are stationed in Iraq, primarily charged with helping train and equip their domestic counterparts. Those forces do still conduct counter-terrorism operations, however, and are able to fire in self-defence.

On Tuesday, President Talabani's office posted the transcript of an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV in which he said an extension of the November 2008 agreement was "not possible" because it would require a two-thirds majority to approve it in parliament.

"During the negotiations between the political parties, there has been a tendency towards keeping a limited number of American trainers," he said, referring to meetings with Iraqi political leaders in which he has taken part.

"But there is no desire to keep a large number of American soldiers."

Talabani said Iraqi military officials had submitted a report to his office and that of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki stating that while the country's security forces could maintain internal stability, "they cannot protect the air space, the borders, or Iraq's territorial waters."

On July 9, ahead of a visit to Iraq by US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, Talabani had promised Iraqi parties would announce their decision in two weeks on whether they want some US forces to remain.

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