U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates (L) meets with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani at the presidential palace in Baghdad April 7, 2011. Months before the United States is due to complete its withdrawal from Iraq, Washington is stepping up pressure on Iraqi leaders to decide whether U.S. troops should stay to help fend off a still-potent insurgency. REUTERS/Chip Somodevilla/Pool (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY)