Hoon arrives in Basra to meet soldiers

British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon arrived in the southern Iraqi city of Basra today for talks with Iraqi and British officials.

Major David Gibb, spokesman for the British-led multinational forces in south-eastern Iraq, said Hoon was spending just one day in the country, during which he would meet with as many soldiers as possible and hold talks with the governor of the Shiite-dominated region, Hassan al-Rashid.