The head of the 22-member Arab League delegation, Ahmad bin Hali, told journalists in Baghdad, that the team had surveyed "the nature of the political situation related to the future" of the country by talking to members of the interim Governing Council, political party and civil society leaders.

Bin Hali said the second part of the mission would include visiting the provinces and cities of southern Iraq and hear the views of the tribes and people in the region regarding "ways of drawing up the future of the country and mechanisms of transferring authority to the Iraqis."

The U.S. administration in Iraq, which has controlled the country since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime in April, has agreed to hand over power to the Iraqis next June.

The delegation will present its finding to the Arab League and make recommendations on ways to assume a role in the future of Iraq.