British Prime Minister Meets with Iraqi Leadership in Baghdad

Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair listens to a question at a press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Nouri Maliki, right, and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, centre, in Baghdad, 19 May 2007

Outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair has met with his Iraqi counterpart Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.

Mr. Blair told a news conference afterwards that they discussed how to bring about political reconciliation. He said he has no regrets about Britain's role in the U.S.-led invasion that removed Saddam Hussein from power.

Three mortar rounds hit the Green Zone Saturday. A U.S. Embassy spokesman said one person was injured.

In other news, troops of the U.S.-led Multi-National Force in Iraq have widened the search for three missing American soldiers.

Earlier, the military said coalition forces in a raid today near Amiriyah detained nine people suspected of involvement in the May 12 kidnappings.

The military said coalition forces on Friday detained two people in Baquba allegedly associated with the command network of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

The U.S. military Saturday announced the deaths of five American troops from attacks in Baghdad, al-Anbar province, and south of the the Iraqi capital.

Also, officials in Diyala province said Sunni militants killed 15 villagers near the border with Iran. The head of the Iraqi border forces in Diyala blamed the attack on an al-Qaida-led group, the Islamic State of Iraq.