Rumsfeld, Blair in unannounced visits to Iraq

The US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Baghdad coming from Afghanistan in an unannounced visit aiming to meet the American forces in Iraq and Iraqi officials.

This visit, came just hours after the arrival of the British prime minister Tony Blair to Basra in an unannounced visit to the British forces on the occasion of the Christmas.

Blair's fourth visit to Iraq since its invasion in 2003 was held under tough security measures, and the access of the media was totally banned until the arrival of the British prime minister coming from Kuwait, in precaution of attacks by gunmen.

Blair said in statements made before the British soldiers in Basra city that stability in Iraq will be a strike to what he called terrorist in the world.

The British prime minister stressed that his country's forces which tolled 8,000, deployed in the four southern governorates, will be reduced only after security is ensured and the Iraqi police and army forces are built up.

Also in this regard, the Polish prime minister who also arrived in Iraq on Thursday held talks with the Iraqi prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, whose term of office has expired. The Talks dealt with the development of the security and political process in Iraq.

Concerning the Polish soldiers working in Iraq, he said that keeping them or withdrawing them is linked to the decision of the elected Iraqi government.

In this regard, the Polish defense minister said in statements from Warsaw that the conservative new government will take its decision next week on whether it will extend its military presence in Iraq until after the beginning of 2006, the date set by the former government.