The Democratic Party in the United States has used a procedural rule to force the US Senate to meet in secret session for the first time in more than 25 years.
The majority Republicans described the move, which forced all media coverage to be abandoned for over two hours, as a stunt and an affront to the nation.
The Democrats forced the issue as a protest against a stalled Senate committee investigation into the intelligence used by the Bush Administration to justify the war in Iraq.
After a compromise was reached during the behind-closed-doors talks, Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein said completing the inquiry was now a priority.
