"We see no need for a withdrawal timetable. We are working as fast as we can," al-Maliki said. "To demand the departure of the troops is a democratic right and a right we respect. What governs the departure at the end of the day is how confident we are in the handover process."

What counts, he added, are "achievements on the ground."

His comments came a day after tens of thousands of Iraqis took to the streets of two Shiite holy cities, demanding that US forces leave the country. The massive rally, called for by rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, marked the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.

Al-Sadr, who remains in seclusion and did not attend, ordered up the march as a show of strength not only to Washington but to Iraq's establishment Shiite ayatollahs as well.

He issued a statement Sunday urging his Mahdi Army militia to redouble efforts to expel US forces and for the police and army to join the struggle against "your archenemy."

While he was in Japan, al-Maliki's office issued a statement saying he would travel to Egypt on April 20 for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and the head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa.

It would be al-Maliki's first visit to Egypt - the Arab world's most populous nation.

Also Tuesday, the US military said it captured more than 150 suspected insurgents in a nearly two-week operation north of Baghdad. Rocket-propelled grenades and launchers, automatic machine guns, sniper rifles and anti-tank mines were also seized, it said.

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