VP Biden visits Iraq amid political impasse

BAGHDAD — Vice President Joe Biden landed Saturday in Baghdad to coax Iraqi leaders into ending their government impasse as vying political factions remain deadlocked over which political bloc should pick its new leaders, including prime minister.

Top Obama administration officials have been reluctant to visit Iraq since the March election failed to produce a clear winner. Biden's trip may signal the U.S. is stepping up its efforts to hammer out an agreement among Iraqi political rivals and get a new government in place as soon as possible.

The vice president was upbeat upon arrival.

"I remain, as I have been from the beginning, extremely optimistic about the government being formed here," Biden told reporters.

Biden is the White House's point man on Iraq issues, and was last in Iraq in January. He visited three times last year.

He will meet with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the premier's main political rival, Ayad Allawi and "affirm the United States' long term commitment to Iraq and discuss recent developments," the White House said in a statement Saturday.

An aid to al-Maliki told The Associated Press that the Iraqi prime Minster will meet with Biden on Sunday to discuss the U.S. withdrawal, ways to deepen ties between the two countries and the formation of the new government.

"The aim of Biden's visit is not to impose a point of view nor an attempt to interfere in Iraq's political process," Yassin Majid said.

Iraq's newly elected parliament is scheduled to meet later this month for the second time since the March 7 vote.

Parliament has only about a month to end the impasse before the start of Ramadan in August, when little official business gets done in the Arab world. Adding to the urgency, all but 50,000 U.S. troops are set to leave Iraq by the end of August in a test of whether the fledgling democracy's security forces are ready to protect its people from insurgents and other terror threats.

Persistent violence has raised fears that al-Qaida in Iraq and other militants are trying to exploit the political deadlock to foment unrest and derail security gains as the American military prepares to withdraw all of its troops by the end of next year.

Analysts and some Iraqi lawmakers have warned that the end to the political gridlock could still be months away.