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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Rice in surprise visit to Baghdad | Rice in surprise visit to Baghdad |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has arrived in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on an unannounced visit. | |
| Ms Rice is expected to meet Iraqi leaders, including Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, to discuss the future of US forces deployed in Iraq. | Ms Rice is expected to meet Iraqi leaders, including Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, to discuss the future of US forces deployed in Iraq. |
| Her arrival comes after 10 months of difficult negotiations on the US military presence in Iraq between Washington and Baghdad. | Her arrival comes after 10 months of difficult negotiations on the US military presence in Iraq between Washington and Baghdad. |
| Reports suggest a compromise draft is being considered by both governments. | Reports suggest a compromise draft is being considered by both governments. |
| Negotiations have been held up by disagreement over the timing of the final withdrawal of US forces from the country and the immunity of US soldiers from prosecution under Iraqi law, says the BBC's Crispin Thorold in Baghdad. | |
| 'No agreement yet' | |
| Included in the draft being considered is a commitment that US troops will start to withdraw from cities across the country from next summer, moving to large bases, out of public view, our correspondent reports. | |
| Ms Rice said no agreement had yet been reached, but that good progress had been made, reports the BBC's Kim Ghattas, who is travelling with the secretary of state. | |
| "The negotiators have taken this very, very far," Ms Rice told reporters. "But there is no reason to believe that there is an agreement yet." | |
| She said she was visiting Baghdad to hear from Iraqi officials about concerns they may have about the long-term strategic framework agreement between the two countries. | |
| A United Nations mandate for US troops to stay in Iraq expires in December. | A United Nations mandate for US troops to stay in Iraq expires in December. |
| Any future agreement must be approved by the US president as well Mr Maliki and Iraq's parliament. | Any future agreement must be approved by the US president as well Mr Maliki and Iraq's parliament. |
| There are currently around 147,000 US troops in Iraq. |