Upsurge in sectarian violence

cctv.com 02-24-2006 09:20

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has described the situation in Iraq as extremely worrying. His remarks followed Wednesday's attacks on an important Shi'ite shrine, which have led to widespread violence. Meanwhile, Iraqi president Jalal Talabani has also condemned the attacks on the 1,200-year-old Askariya shrine.

Speaking on Thursday at UN headquarters in New York, Kofi Annan urged Iraqis to show restraint and try to end the violence internally.

Annan said, "The situation in Iraq is extremely worrying. I mean, I was shocked and chagrined by the attack on the mosque, and I have appealed for restraint as other leaders have, and I'm happy to see that the Iraqi leaders themselves are coming together to see what can be done to calm the situation, and I hope they will work together in the interests of common, in the common interests of Iraq, and in the interests of their own citizens, who have suffered for far too long through this violent, through the violence of the last few years."

President Jalal Talabani also condemned the violence.

Talabani said, "We strongly condemn the attacks on the Askariya shrine. We also strongly reject the resulting violence, which is only serving the plans of criminals who want to spread hate. We should not under any circumstances ignore the attacks on Sunni mosques in Baghdad, Basra, other places, and the headquarters of the Iraqi Islamic Party."

Talabani summoned representatives of Iraq's major parties to a meeting to address the aftermath of Wednesday's shrine bombings. Leaders agreed the best way to respond to the violence was to form a government of national unity that would focus on bringing the security situation under control.

The destruction of the shrine's golden dome has sent crowds of angry Shi'ites onto the streets in cities across Iraq.

No group has yet admitted responsibility for the attacks on the Askariya shrine, which is a hundred kilometers north of Baghdad. But suspicion has fallen on Sunni extremist groups such as al-Qaida in Iraq.

But there have been some shows of unity... on Thursday, more than 30,000 Shiite and Sunni Muslims demonstrated together in the city of Kut. Leaders of both groups took turns to address the crowds.

Mahmoud Al-Sarki, Shi'ite Representative, said, "Why did they bomb the dome at this time? Why wasn't it hit before? Beware. I swear by God, this is a political game not a religious one. Beware of sectarian war - they want to use it to humiliate you and divide you."

The sectarian violence threatens to derail US plans to form a new government representing all factions, including Sunni Arabs, who form the backbone of the insurgency.

Editor:Chen Zhuo  Source:CCTV.com