U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Baghdad Sunday in a surprise one-day visit. The main topic -- U.S.-Iraqi economic relations.

Pelosi has been a fierce critic of the Iraq war. She originally opposed President Bush's 2007 troop increase, which was credited with substantially reducing violence in Iraq.

More recently, she praised President Obama's plan to bring home two-thirds of U.S. troops in Iraq by August 2010.

On this visit, Pelosi promised continued U.S. financial support.

"We want to help economically and culturally and under a strategic framework agreement. All of this struggle will be worth it in the end because it will be done for the people of Iraq," Pelosi said.

Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki asked Pelosi for more U.S. support in shielding Iraq from financial demands from neighboring countries.

Kuwait still claims billions in war reparations from Iraq dating from the 1990 invasion.