New York, Dec 13 (DPA) Iraq has presented the US with a plan for Iraqi troops to assume primary responsibility for security in Baghdad early next year, said news reports Wednesday.

Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security adviser, said the plan was presented during a meeting in Amman Nov 30 between US President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, the New York Times reported.

Under the plan, US troops would be shifted to the periphery of the capital and would focus on fighting the forces said to be backed by Al Qaeda and the Sunni-based insurgent groups.

The Iraqi government's largely Shia forces would take over the effort to quell sectarian tensions within the capital, posing a risk that they could crack down on Sunni neighbourhoods and force Sunnis out of the city, the paper said.