BAGHDAD, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appeared in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Friday in a surprise visit aimed at reducing sectarian tensions five weeks before elections in the country.

    Her trip had been kept secret for security concerns until she landed in the city, where 60 percent of inhabitants are Sunni Iraqi Arab.

    "I want to talk about the importance of reaching across sectarian lines," Rice said.

    During the visit, the top US diplomat will be briefed by the US ambassador and military officials on their efforts to stabilize Iraq ahead of the Dec. 15 elections.

    Rice flew into Iraq from Bahrain where she started a tour of the Middle East earlier Friday by attending a forum on a controversial US-sponsored plan to spread democracy in the region.

    Rice is also scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, Israel and the West Bank. However, she said she will talk to Jordanian leaders about whether to take a side trip to Jordan, where bomb attacks on three international hotels had killed at least 56 people on Wednesday. Enditem