U.S. soldiers discuss their mission under the Cross Sabers monument at the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad July 5, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

The Bush administration has repeatedly rejected calls for any specific withdrawal timetable.

The White House responded to al-Maliki's comments Monday by saying the talks were aimed at reaching an agreement on a framework for future U.S.-Iraqi relations rather than a "hard date" for U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.

The U.S. State Department also rejected Iraq's demand to set a timetable for a pullout, emphasizing that the withdrawal of its troops will be based on ground conditions.

"The U.S. government and the government of Iraq are in agreement that we, the U.S. government, we want to withdraw, we will withdraw. However, that decision will be conditions-based," State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said.

"We're looking at conditions, not calendars here," he said.

Apart from the difference of opinion on a specific withdrawal timetable, controversy in either country about the contents of a likely agreement has further complicated the ongoing talks.