Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (R) meets US Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, during Mullen's visit to Baghdad August 1, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

BAGHDAD - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki met with Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staffs, who paid a surprise visit to the country to discuss the US troops withdrawal by the end of 2011, Maliki's office said in a statement on Tuesday.

Maliki received Mullen and his accompanying delegation late on Monday in his office in Baghdad's Green Zone which houses some of the Iraqi government offices and foreign embassies, including the US one.

"Maliki confirmed his government stance that it is for the leaders of the political blocs and then to the parliament to take the final decision for the US troops' presence in Iraq," the statement quoted Maliki as saying during the meeting.

Maliki hoped that the political leaders will reach a tentative decision at their expected meeting later on Tuesday, after they have repeatedly failed to give final decision about the extension of the US troops' presence in the country beyond the end of 2011 deadline.

During the meeting, Maliki also stressed the necessity for continuous cooperation between the two countries regardless of the result of the political leaders meeting on Tuesday.

"There should be continuous weapons cooperation between Baghdad and Washington, particularly, in the field of air defense which Iraq urgently needs," the statement added.

Mullen arrived on unannounced visit to Iraq's northern city of Mosul on Monday and met with US troops there before he flew to Baghdad hours later to meet with Iraqi leaders to urge them to decide soon if they want US troops to stay in the country after the end of the year deadline.

US military forces are to pull out completely from Iraq by the end of 2011, according to the security pact named Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which was signed late in 2008 between Baghdad and Washington.

Earlier, Maliki frequently said that SOFA cannot be renewed as stated in the agreement, but it is expected that there could be another sort of agreement between the two sides to decide the staying of small US force after the end of 2011 deadline, mainly for training Iraqi troops.