Rice: Differences can be strength in Iraq
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-11 23:33

Rice flew to Iraq the day after a suicide bomber killed 35 people at a Baghdad restaurant favored by police, and a car bomb killed seven at an Iraqi army recruiting center to the north. More than 30 people were wounded in the attacks.

As of Friday, at least 2,059 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Rice's trip, scheduled before Wednesday's bombings, included a stop in Bahrain for meetings on development and democratic progress in the Middle East. She will also visit Saudi Arabia, Israel and the West Bank.

Rice also expressed hope that a deal could be reached with Iran regarding its nuclear program. But she would not confirm that the United States would back a deal with Europe, described by senior officials and diplomats, to accept expanded Iranian nuclear activities if uranium enrichment is done in Russia.