PRIME MINISTER HOWARD VISITS IRAQ

He was in the neighbourhood and thought he'd drop in:

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit, and is reportedly holding talks with Iraqi Premier Ibrahim Jaafari, according to Mr Jaafari's office.

He has refused to set out a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq, saying it would depend on issues like how well local security forces can hold back the insurgency and the functionality of Iraq's democratic structures.

Not much chance anyone in the Iraqi grovernment will offer him a beer, I'll bet. While he's there he'll no doubt want to have important discussions with Aussie forces; thumping the Poms in the first Ashes test, for example.