New Democrat speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has urged Iraqi leaders to resort to political solutions to end the surging violence in the country, reports said in Washington on Saturday.

In a meeting on Friday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other U.S. officials, Pelosi, who was on a surprise visit to Iraq, advocated that the Iraqis should seek political solutions rather than relying on a surge in U.S. troops to end the violence.

"The sooner Iraqi leaders make necessary political accommodations, including amending their constitution to resolve outstanding differences among all Iraqi communities, the better the chances for ending the sectarian violence," said a statement released by Pelosi's office after the meeting.

The U.S. forces in Iraq "should quickly begin transition from a combat role to one focused on training, counter-terrorism, force protection, and controlling Iraq's borders," it added.

Pelosi, who is known for her strong anti-war stance, arrived Saturday in Baghdad with several other senior Democratic lawmakers.

Analysts here said the visit underscored the difference between Pelosi and the Bush administration on the Iraq policy.

Source: Xinhua