Talabani Urges Iraqis to Adhere to National Unity

President Jalal Talabani has called on the Iraqi people to adhere to national unity. He denounced the violent and criminal acts at al-Zahra mosque in (Baghdad's) al-Jihad district (in which gunmen shot Sunni Arabs to death based on their identification cards.) He asked all citizens to cooperate with the security forces and to not be aggravated by the violent acts that could lead to sectarian conflicts. Talabani maintained that terrorists, Saddam's henchmen and the blasphemers wanted to ignite the civil war to stop the democratic process. He appealed for calm and encouraged people not to act in a reactionary manner, saying that all Iraqis would lose in that scenario. He called on political leaders, clerics and tribal leaders to help stop the Iraqi bloodshed.