Rice and Straw step up pressure to break Iraq talks stalemate

THE United States and British foreign ministers made a surprise trip to Iraq yesterday in a bid to persuade the country's leaders to end nearly four months of wrangling and form a new government.

The diplomats' visit comes amid growing pressure on Iraq Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari to step aside as the Shi'ite nominee for a second term to break the stalemate on forming a new government.

Talks among Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders have stalled, in part because of opposition to Mr al-Jaafari's nomination by the Shi'ite bloc. On Saturday, Shi'ite politician Qassim Dawoud joined Sunnis and Kurds in urging a new Shi'ite nominee, the first time a Shi'ite figure has issued such a public call.