Pelosi makes surprise visit to Iraq

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made a surprise visit to Iraq Sunday, focusing on economic issues in a meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Al-Maliki asked Pelosi to help his war-torn country beat back demands for reparations from neighboring countries for actions taken by Saddam Hussein’s regime, according to an Associated Press report.

{mosads}Pelosi also said the U.S. will need to strengthen intelligence efforts in Iraq as American forces draw down. President Obama has said as many as two-thirds of the American troop presence in Iraq will be home by August 2010.

U.S. forces are supposed to withdraw from cities in Iraq by June 30, though some officials have suggested a recent spike in violence in the country could delay that. General Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has said the goal of pulling out by the end of next month is largely on track.

Speaking at the Pentagon Friday, Odierno said one-fifth of combat troops will stay in cities beyond the deadline. Those troops will remain in Baghdad and Mosul, two cities that have seen marked upticks in violence in recent weeks. Those troops will be assigned to training and advisory duties, but they will continue combat missions.

Odierno maintained that despite the rise in suicide attacks that have garnered big headlines in recent weeks, the level of violence in Iraq remains at some of the lowest levels seen during the six-year American campaign. Odierno said there could be a low-level insurgency in Iraq for as long as 15 years.

During her trip, Pelosi also met with other Iraqi parliament officials, including Speaker Iyad al-Samarrai, the leader of Iraq’s Sunni Arab party, the National Concord Front. A spokesman told The Hill Pelosi will also meet with U.S. troops during her visit.

Pelosi made the trip, her fifth to Iraq, alongside Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee’s Oversight panel. The two returned to Qatar late Sunday, where they will meet with Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabar Al Thani.

This post was update at 1:45 p.m.