Rice, Straw push for new govt
2006-04-02 18:30
Baghdad - US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and her British counterpart Jack Straw made a surprise visit to Iraq on Sunday to express their impatience with months of delay in forming a new government.
Rice and Straw flew in secretly from Britain under tight security in a pouring rain, in an unprecedented joint effort to move forward Iraqi political talks that have dragged on since the mid-December elections while sectarian violence has raged.
"We're going to urge that the negotiations be wrapped up," Rice said en route to Iraq.
"It should be very clear to everyone that the time has come for these negotiations to produce a government of national unity.
"I would assume that the fact that we are going out to have these discussions with the leadership is a sign of the urgency that we attach to the need for a government of national unity," she told reporters.
The weather forced the two top diplomats to take overland transport under high security on the dangerous road between the airport and the heavily guarded Green Zone where they immediately plunged into talks with Iraqi officials.
They began by meeting President Jalal Talabani and later held talks with powerful Shi'ite leader Abdel Aziz al-Hakim and Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari.
Dissatisfied
Journalists travelling with the diplomats remarked on a greater degree of warmth between Rice and vice-president Adel Abdel Mahdi than with Jaafari himself.
Media reports claim that US officials are dissatisfied with Jaafari's leadership and lobbied for his replacement - claims the US denies.
Abdel Mahdi was a rival of Jaafari for the nomination of the premier's position.
Rice reserved only 45 minutes for Jaafari, but had a one hour and 45 minute lunch with Abdel Mahdi and Hakim.
"We're not doing statements," said Rice after her meeting with Jaafari.
Iraqis have been arguing over Jaafari's bid to stay on as prime minister as the candidate of the Shi'ite United Iraqi Alliance, which controls nearly half the seats in the 275-member parliament.
The discontent has now spread to Jaafari's own alliance, with several members for the first time at the weekend openly calling for the prime minister to step down so as to ease the arduous negotiations.
Leaders of four of the seven parties in the alliance have expressed their reservations over Jaafari's candidacy and have given him the next few days to placate his opposition or they will remove their support.