US Republican presidential candidate John McCain has arrived in Iraq for talks with senior US officials on the first leg of a tour taking him to the Middle East and Europe.
His trip is aimed at burnishing his senior statesman credentials while the Democratic race continues in the US.
The Arizona senator, who touts his foreign affairs experience over Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, is leading a congressional delegation which will meet the leaders of Jordan, Israel, Britain and France, according to his campaign office in Washington.
In Baghdad, he is due to meet the US ambassador Ryan Crocker, and to see firsthand the effects of the troop ‘surge’ for which he has been a fervent advocate even as US public support for the war in Iraq slumped.
Mr McCain, who earlier this month sealed the Republican nomination after a series of primary victories, is joined on his trip by independent Senator Joe Lieberman and Republican Lindsey Graham, two staunch supporters in his White House bid.
The delegation was to meet with US military officials and Iraq's leaders to assess the success of the surge strategy that deployed more soldiers to Iraq.
Observers said the trip will give several heads of state a closer look at one of the three candidates battling to take over the White House in January 2009.
