
BAGHDAD: Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, arrived in Baghdad on Saturday for talks with Iraqi and American officials.
"She is in Baghdad for talks with US officials and representatives of the Iraqi government," US Embassy spokeswoman said.
She had no immediate details of the visit, including how long Pelosi, 67, a Democrat known for her strong anti-war stance, would stay in the Iraqi capital.
The previously unannounced visit comes at a time when US President George W. Bush is also visiting the Middle East.
Bush, who had earlier been in Israel and Saudi Arabia, arrived in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday for talks with President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian leaders and was also due to meet Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Ahmed Saleh on Sunday.
Pelosi, during her previous visit to Baghdad in January 2007, urged Iraqi leaders to pursue political solutions to end spiralling sectarian violence.