President George W. Bush urged Iraqi leaders to work together to defuse sectarian tensions in the country after violence sparked fears of a possible civil war. Bush made phone calls to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd; Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, a Shiite; the leader of the Iraqi Islamic Party, Tarek al-Hashemi, a Sunni; and other prominent political leaders from different religious and ethnic communities, the White House said.
It was the first time Bush had spoken to Iraqi leaders since Wednesday's bombing of a major Shiite mosque that triggered reprisal violence claiming at least 140 lives.
"The president congratulated Iraq's leaders for their strong leadership and their efforts to calm the situation and for their statements against violence and for restraint," said Frederick Jones, spokesman for the National Security Council.
"He encouraged them to continue to work together to thwart efforts of the perpetrators of the violence to sow discord among Iraq's communities," Jones said.
Bush also reiterated his support for Iraqi efforts to forge a government of national unity designed to transcend sectarian divisions.
The round of phone calls lasted about an hour, Jones said.
The bombing of the revered 1,000-year-old Imam Ali al-Hadi mausoleum in the northern town of Samarra on Wednesday destroyed its golden dome and sparked concerns of an all-out civil war.
