By Jessica Ramirez and Larry Kaplow

There were no American flags in sight on the ugly strip of road near checkpoint two. The cold and bitter air only whipped at Iraqi flags that sat behind a podium where officials shared some final words on the formal transfer of the Green Zone from U.S. to Iraqi forces.

The shift is part of an accord that Iraqi and U.S. governments signed last month. Aside from the Green Zone handover, it requires U.S. troops to withdraw from bases located within Iraqi cities by the end of June and from the country by the end of 2011.

Among those that attended the mid-morning ceremony were Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin III and Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul Qadir, who said in early 2008 that Iraq would not be able to maintain internal security until 2012 and protect its borders until 2018. They sat with other VIPS in a makeshift tent, which bomb-sniffing dogs checked twice before their arrival.

The heightened level of security didn’t end there. There were several additional checkpoints throughout the heavily fortified area amid lingering concerns that it will continue to be a target as it becomes more accessible to Iraqi civilians. “Common sense says they'll probably test the Green Zone,” said U.S. Army Col. Steve Ferrari, who called the area a “symbol of Iraq’s sovereignty.”

As for the Iraqis at the ceremony, they seemed filled with more pride than concern. An Iraqi marching band, dressed in red and blue outfits, played a few tunes on their bagpipes for the audience. They were followed by a group of young Iraqi children, who took turns chanting about their love for their country into a microphone.

The Green Zone, which spans four square miles, is located along the Tigris River in Baghdad. Since 2003, it has served as headquarters to roughly 14,000 coalition forces and contractors and as a home to at least 16,000 Iraqis. For now, Iraqi forces are nominally in charge and learning how to man gates by themselves, but technically, it’s still being protected by U.S. troops and Peruvian contractors.

Many of the largest American compounds, like the ones housing the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers and contractor KBR also remain in the area. According to Ferrari, they have six months to negotiate their status in the country with the Iraqi government.

On working with Iraqi forces, Ferrari says the army will only stay if asked. Until that decision is made, U.S. soldiers like Sgt. Ruben Hernandez, who served his first tour in 2004, says it’s nice just to see what a difference a few years make. “Yeah, they like me now, he says of Iraqis. “I don’t think we could say that then.”