"The talks with the US regarding the presence or the absence of US troops or the coalition forces on Iraqi territory continue," Hussein said on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
When asked whether any schedule had been drawn up, the top Iraqi diplomat repeated that the "talks continue."
Baghdad is awaiting a report from the joint Iraqi-US commission on the possible withdrawal of the coalition forces from the country, Hussein added. The report will be sent to the Iraqi political leadership and Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa Al-Sudani so that they study it and take the next step in the negotiations, he added.
The Iraqi prime minister told the Wall Street Journal in mid-January there was no need in the presence of the US-led coalition in Iraq anymore to fight radical groups, adding he was no longer worried that the departure of the coalition forces would undermine Iraq's military capabilities.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin later said that Washington and Baghdad had agreed to launch working group meetings to discuss the future of the US-led international coalition and its military presence in the country. The Department of Defense, however, said that launching the commission did not mean the start of negotiations between the two countries about the eventual withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.