Former U S Secretary of State James Baker, who heads an independent panel charged with taking a fresh look at US policy in Iraq, met the most senior Sunni leaders in the Iraqi coalition government yesterday. Baker held talks in Baghdad with Vice-President Tareq Al Hashemi and Deputy Prime Minister Salam Al Zobaie, both members of the Sunni minority who form the backbone of the insurgency fighting to oust US forces from Iraq. Zobaie has been meeting Sunni tribal leaders as part of the Iraqi government's efforts to defuse the insurgency. Hashemi has been critical of the national reconciliation plan, saying it is vague and fails to set a timetable for a US troop pullout. The US embassy declined further comment on the unannounced visit to Iraq. It was not clear how long Baker, who also met President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, had been in the country.
Baker, a close friend of the Bush family who served under President George W Bush's father, sat silently at a news conference held after his meeting with Zobaie. "James Baker was the engineer of US foreign policy for many years. He has been sent by George Bush personally to find out the reality of what is happening in Iraq," Zobaie said.