US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the US forces will remain in Iraq until it "can defend itself."

Rice told a press conference after meeting with Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari on Sunday in Baghdad that the multinational forces are here to help Iraq until it can defend itself.

She added that the US forces will continue to exterminate terrorists trying to thwart the government.

She also urged the Iraqi leadership to press on with drafting a constitution, stressing the process should include the Sunnis.

Jaafari said the government is stepping up efforts toward securing their own country, to accelerate the withdrawal of the foreign troops.

Rice made the surprise trip to Iraq amid a spree of attacks, as the bodies of 38 men shot execution-style were found in Iraq. Her first stop was Arbil, where she met Kurdish Democratic Party leader Massoud Barzani.

(CRI.com May 16, 2005)