Iraq PM urges leaders to work for unity

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

BAGHDAD (AFP) — Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Tuesday urged Iraq's feuding leaders to unite for national peace as he opened a two-day unity conference being boycotted by the country's main Sunni bloc.

"Let us talk of forgiving each other rather than threatening each other," said Maliki, who is under pressure from Washington and the United Nations to unite Iraq's bitterly divided factions.

"I call upon the political blocs to support national reconciliation because that is the only solution to help Iraqis," he told the conference.

"In spite of the recent successes, the road is still long and we need more efforts and persistence."

Maliki urged the Sunnis not to boycott such peace initiatives.

"If you want to fix something, you can't do it by...