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| Version 6 | Version 7 |
|---|---|
| Cheney in Baghdad for key talks | Cheney in Baghdad for key talks |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Visiting US Vice-President Dick Cheney has met Iraq's political leaders and US army chiefs to discuss security and attempts at political reconciliation. | |
| Mr Cheney said his talks with PM Nouri Maliki focused on the operation to curb violence in and around Baghdad. | |
| Iraq is the first stop on a Middle East tour by the vice-president. | |
| A joint US-Iraq security "surge" in Baghdad is entering its fourth month but sectarian violence continues and US troops are being killed every day. | A joint US-Iraq security "surge" in Baghdad is entering its fourth month but sectarian violence continues and US troops are being killed every day. |
| As Mr Cheney arrived in Baghdad, at least 14 people were killed in the city of Irbil, in the relatively calm Kurdish north. | As Mr Cheney arrived in Baghdad, at least 14 people were killed in the city of Irbil, in the relatively calm Kurdish north. |
| Oil revenue | |
| Mr Maliki said his meeting with Mr Cheney had laid the foundation for future practical help from the US on security and political fronts. | |
| A policeman evacuates a casualty from the Irbil explosion | |
| Mr Maliki said: "We talked about the challenges that we are facing in our own political process, but we also talked about the achievements of the Iraqi people as a result of the support of the United States." | |
| US officials said Mr Cheney wanted faster progress on the fair division of oil revenues and the passage of laws to reinstate former Baath Party officials. | |
| The BBC's James Shaw in Baghdad says Mr Cheney's unannounced visit comes at a critical time for US efforts to bring security to Iraq, with bombings and sectarian killings every day. | |
| Mr Cheney's Middle East tour also takes in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt. | |
| The vice-president also held talks with the US ambassador, Ryan Crocker, and with the commander of US forces in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus. | |
| Ambassador Crocker said the vice-president would try to dissuade Iraqi politicians from taking a two-month holiday this summer. | Ambassador Crocker said the vice-president would try to dissuade Iraqi politicians from taking a two-month holiday this summer. |
| "For the Iraqi parliament to take a two-month vacation in summer is impossible to understand," he said, given the "major effort" being made by US and Iraqi security forces. | "For the Iraqi parliament to take a two-month vacation in summer is impossible to understand," he said, given the "major effort" being made by US and Iraqi security forces. |
| Congressional battle | Congressional battle |
| Meanwhile, the Pentagon has told 35,000 US troops they may be required in Iraq this autumn. | Meanwhile, the Pentagon has told 35,000 US troops they may be required in Iraq this autumn. |
| President George W Bush has already placed an extra 30,000 troops in Iraq as part of the 12-week-old security "surge" in Baghdad and in the western province of Anbar, | |
| The latest Pentagon order would enable this push to be maintained until the end of the year, if necessary. | The latest Pentagon order would enable this push to be maintained until the end of the year, if necessary. |
| However, a defence department spokesman said no decision had yet been taken on prolonging the current surge. | However, a defence department spokesman said no decision had yet been taken on prolonging the current surge. |
| In Washington, the president's Republican party is battling Democratic rivals who want Congress to place checks on funding for the war in Iraq. | In Washington, the president's Republican party is battling Democratic rivals who want Congress to place checks on funding for the war in Iraq. |
| Irbil attack | Irbil attack |
| In northern Iraq, the bomb attack in Irbil injured about 70 people. | In northern Iraq, the bomb attack in Irbil injured about 70 people. |
| Television pictures showed the blast had destroyed a building and left a large crater on a road where interior ministry offices are located. | Television pictures showed the blast had destroyed a building and left a large crater on a road where interior ministry offices are located. |
| A witness quoted by Reuters news agency spoke of "fire coming out from the blast area. A man was burned to death." | A witness quoted by Reuters news agency spoke of "fire coming out from the blast area. A man was burned to death." |
| A security official, First Lt Mariwan Kareem, told the agency the explosives in the truck had been hidden under kitchen cleaning products. | A security official, First Lt Mariwan Kareem, told the agency the explosives in the truck had been hidden under kitchen cleaning products. |
| The near-daily bombings and instability that have gripped much of Iraq remain rare in the autonomous Kurdish northern region. | The near-daily bombings and instability that have gripped much of Iraq remain rare in the autonomous Kurdish northern region. |
| However, political tensions are rising over the drafting of a bill that will redistribute oil wealth among the country's Kurdish, Sunni and Shia population. | However, political tensions are rising over the drafting of a bill that will redistribute oil wealth among the country's Kurdish, Sunni and Shia population. |
| Most of Iraq's oil is concentrated around the Kurdish north and Shia south. | Most of Iraq's oil is concentrated around the Kurdish north and Shia south. |