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Foreign Secretaries Make Surprise Iraq Visit

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw made an unexpected visit to Iraq on Sunday, in an effort to prod the country`s leaders to form a new government. "There is significant international concern about the time the formation of this government is taking, and therefore we believe and we will be urging the Iraqi leaders we see to press ahead more quickly," said Mr. Straw.

"We`ve wanted to be out there at times that we thought we could help move the process forward... And of course it`s important to have fresh messages from time to time from Washington and from London about the concern that a government be formed," Ms. Rice remarked. Mr. Straw has been to Iraq twice already this year. Ms. Rice was in Iraq last November.

Sunni Arab politician Adnan al-Dulaimi says, "We spoke about the Iraqi problem in general, about the government formation and the security problem... We also talked about hurrying up in forming the government because the Iraqi people have grown bored of waiting. Our points of view matched."