US vice president Joe Biden arrived in Iraq today as heightened tensions following an inconclusive election in March raised questions about plans to end combat operations next month.
Mr Biden, appointed by president Barack Obama to take the lead on Iraq issues for Washington, was expected to hold talks with Iraqi leaders amid an ongoing deadlock four months after the vote over forming the war-damaged country's next government.
The last time Mr Biden visited was shortly before the March 7th parliamentary election, when a controversy raged over attempts by Shia politicians to ban mainly Sunni candidates over alleged links to Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baath party.
Iraqis had hoped the ballot would lead to stability and economic recovery seven years after the US-led invasion to topple Saddam unleashed a bitter war between once dominant Sunnis and majority Shia.
Overall violence has fallen sharply since the peak of the sectarian carnage in 2006-07, but attacks by a determined Sunni Islamist insurgency continue on a daily basis.
Instead of setting Iraq on a path to greater security and prosperity, the election has been followed by four months of political uncertainty after no one won the vote outright and agreement over forming the next government proved elusive.
Sunni insurgents linked to al Qaeda have sought to exploit the political vacuum through suicide bombings and killings, raising questions about the US military's plan to end combat operations in August ahead of a full withdrawal in 2011.
Reuters