Hours before the second-ever Iraq National Assembly session, politicians have yet to pick a parliament speaker, with wrangling over bringing in Sunni Arabs - a step seen as key to quelling the Sunni-led insurgency – prolonging negotiations to form a new government.

Two more key members of Saddam Hussein’s regime were in Allied custody tonight as the hunt for his chief henchmen continued.

Suspected suicide hijacker Mohammed Atta met at least once with an Iraqi intelligence agent during one of two trips to the Czech republic, a senior government official said today.