Rice, Straw discuss Iraq's political process with Talabani

Visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw discussed Iraq's political process with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Sunday.

"President Jalal Talabani held meeting with American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her British counterpart Jack Straw with the presence of the ambassadors of the two countries to Iraq, " Iraq's presidential office said in a statement obtained by Xinhua.

Talabani briefed his visitors about the progress in forming a new government, particularly an agreement reached by Iraqi political leaders that puts security in the hands of a committee to be headed by the coming prime minister and his deputy in the next government.

The two secretaries "appreciated the leading role of Talabani in bringing together the political blocs," the statement said.

On Saturday, a presidential office statement said that the political parties had reached a compromise deal, which said that the prime minister will be the "head of the committee and will also have a deputy prime minister as his deputy on the committee."

Rice and Straw arrived in Baghdad on Sunday on a surprise visit in a bid to help break a deadlock on the country's political process since its parliamentary elections last December.

Source: Xinhua