Rice leaves Bush for surprise Baghdad trip

American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a surprise visit to Iraq today, scotching rumours that President Bush would travel there himself.

Ms Rice broke away from the president’s Middle East tour, leaving him in Saudi Arabia while she met Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.

She left the Saudi capital of Riyadh early today to personally deliver Mr Bush’s encouragement about signs of progress in Baghdad and decided that she could “help push the momentum by her very presence.”

Ms Rice said that national reconciliation has moved along “quite remarkably,” citing a new law that allows thousands of former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath party to reclaim government jobs or pensions.

She said the Iraqi parliament’s approval of the law on Saturday was a first step and showed that last year’s “surge” of American forces was paying dividends.

“President Bush and Secretary Rice decided this would be a good opportunity for the secretary to go to Baghdad to meet with Iraqi officials to build on progress made and to encourage additional political reconciliation and legislative action,” a spokesman said.

Mr al-Maliki’s spokesman said Ms Rice and the prime minister met for about 45 minutes. He said she briefed him on Mr Bush’s trip and passed along the president’s congratulations on the new laws.

It is one of 18 steps which the US considers benchmarks to promoting reconciliation among the country’s Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.

A senior aide to al-Maliki said Ms Rice also encouraged the prime minister to promote the progress of the other benchmark legislation, including provincial elections, constitutional amendments and a law to share the country’s oil and gas resources among the different sects.