Rice, Straw pay surprise visit to Baghdad

Baghdad, Apr 2: U S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw paid a surprise visit to Baghdad today to discuss efforts to form a unity government.

British embassy spokeswoman Lisa Glover said Straw was ''here to talk about government formation''. Straw and Rice are due to meet Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and President Jalal Talabani and other leaders during the day.

The visit comes as Jaafari faces mounting pressure from both within his ruling Shi'ite Alliance and rival politicians to step down.

REUTERS