Rice arrives in Baghdad for surprise visit

    BAGHDAD, April 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice paid a surprise visit to Baghdad on Wednesday.

    Rice's visit came just three days after Jawad al-Maliki was chosen as the new Iraqi prime minister after Sunni Arabs and Kurds insisted to reject Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari for a second term.

    Earlier in the day, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld also arrived in Baghdad on a surprise visit to convey President George W. Bush's congratulation to Iraqi political factions on ending an impasse over the selection of a prime minister and other top political leaders.

    Rice, who joined Rumsfeld in Baghdad, is to hold discussions with Iraqi and U.S. officials in the Iraqi capital. Enditem

Rumsfeld in Baghdad on surprise visit

    BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON, April 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Baghdad early Wednesday morning on a surprise visit to Iraq.

U.S. Army General George Casey (L) gestures next to U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (R) during a media briefing at the U.S. Embassy Annex in Baghdad April 25. (Photo: Xinhua/Reuters)

    This is Rumsfeld's first visit to Iraq in 2006, and came just several days after Shiite politician Jawad al-Maliki was chosen as new Iraqi Prime Minister.

    Rumsfeld is to convey President George W. Bush's congratulation to Iraq political factions on ending an impasse over the selection of a prime minister and other top political positions.

    Before flying here, Rumsfeld held talks with senior U.S. military officers in Washington, including Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and discussed progress on the military front.

    Last year, Casey said if the security situation did not deteriorate and a government of national unity were established, the United States would substantially reduce its military presence in Iraq starting from this spring or summer. Enditem