Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, will today hold talks with the interim Iraqi government to discuss Saudi Arabia's offer to help build a joint force of Muslim nations to establish security in the country.
The Saudi offer, made yesterday, came on the most violent day in Iraq since the US-appointed interim government took office a month ago. More than 100 people died in attacks by insurgents, 70 of them killed in a suicide bombing at Baquba.
The offer was made during a meeting between Saudi rulers and Mr Powell in Jeddah. A Saudi official said the proposal was only in its preliminary stages, but it nevertheless marks a departure from the stance that Muslim nations would not send troops to Iraq.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1271597,00.html