U.S. says any delegation to Iraq would not discuss troop withdrawal

Any delegation the United States would send to Iraq would not discuss the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, the U.S. State Department said on Friday, saying the force presence there was "appropriate."

"There does, however, need to be a conversation between the U.S. and Iraqi governments not just regarding security, but about our financial, economic, and diplomatic partnership," department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.