BAGHDAD, May 17 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a key Democrat critic of President George Bush's war policy in Iraq, landed in Baghdad on Saturday for talks with U.S. and Iraqi officials, the U.S. embassy said. An embassy spokeswoman said Pelosi would meet U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker and the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, General David Petraeus. The California Democrat would also hold talks with senior members of Iraq's leadership, although the spokeswoman declined to give details. Pelosi led Democratic opposition to Bush's decision in early 2007 to send 30,000 additional American soldiers to Iraq in a bid to halt Iraq's spiral into all-out civil war. With violence down, the extra combat brigades are being withdrawn. But there will still be 140,000 U.S. troops in Iraq when the last "surge" brigade leaves in July. (Reporting by Tim Cocks; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
Masked members of Iraq's neighbourhood patrol check a truck at a checkpoint in Samarra, 96 km (60miles) north of Baghdad May 16, 2008. Picture taken May 16, 2008. REUTERS/Sabah al-Bazee (IRAQ) ...
