Baghdad, July 3, SPA -- U.S. Attorney General AlbertoGonzales made a heavily guarded surprise visit to IraqSunday, praising the government's commitment to democracyin the face of sustained deadly attacks by insurgents. Gonzales, on his first trip to Iraq, said he chose theweekend of the U.S. Independence Day holiday to showsupport for U.S. troops and Iraq's nascent government. "We are doing a lot to promote democracy and the rule oflaw," Gonzales said aboard an Air Force plane en route tothe Middle East. His predecessor, John Ashcroft, did not visit the countrywhile attorney general. Gonzales was meeting with U.S. soldiers, JusticeDepartment officials working in Iraq and his counterpartsin the Iraqi government. --SPA1344 Local Time 1044 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/274264