( dpa ) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held talks with Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki upon her arrival in Baghdad on a surprise trip Tuesday from the Saudi capital Riyadh, a US embassy official said.
Rice will hold intensive talks with several Iraqi leaders, the official told the Voices of Iraq news agency.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, ruled out a possible visit to Iraq by US President George W Bush, saying the president had a different itinerary.
Rice's visit was aimed at strengthening the Iraqi parties to enable greater reconciliation in the country, a US National Security Council spokesman said in Riyadh.
Rice is due back in Riyadh Tuesday evening, where she is expected to give a press conference.