Khartoum/Baghdad: A top UN envoy urged Iraq's Arab neighbours yesterday to work together to end the country's political deadlock, even as further squabbles broke out between Iraqi and other Arab leaders over the role of Iran.
"Neighbouring countries and the region are responsible for sending a clear message to the Iraqi people that they are supporting the political process in Iraq," Ashraf Qazi, the special representative in Iraq of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, told Arab foreign ministers.
The ministers were gathered in the Sudanese capital to prepare for a summit of Arab leaders tomorrow and Wednesday that aims to tackle a string of major issues including violence in Iraq and the Palestinians' formation of a new Hamas-led government.
Strong message
Qazi said he hoped the summit would prove a turning point in supporting the political process in Iraq, and said the Arab leaders gathered here "should send a strong message to the Iraqis that their brethren stand beside them and respect the diversity of the Iraqi people."
Meanwhile, 30 bodies, most of them beheaded, were found on the main street of a village north of Baghdad yesterday, stepping up pressure on divided Iraqi leaders to form a government they hope can avert sectarian civil war.
Iraqi army officials said the corpses were found in Mulla Eed near the town of Baquba, 65km north of the capital. The motive for the killings was not clear but they fit a pattern of rapidly escalating sectarian violence. Police said many of the victims had also been shot.
Another round of negotiations over the formation of a unity government more than three months after parliamentary elections failed to provide any relief for Iraqis.
"In practical terms, there is not a complete agreement nor is there total disagreement," secular Shiite politician Wael Abdul Latif told reporters as talks persisted.
