U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, on his first visit to Iraq since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion, urged Iraqis on Saturday to embrace a process aiming to reconcile all the country's ethnic and religious groups, Reuters reported. Annan condemned the "brutal behaviour" of those responsible for attacks such as a car bomb that ripped through a Baghdad market, killing at least five people and wounding 20, within hours of his arrival in Baghdad's fortress-like "Green Zone" where most government business is conducted. Annan came from Amman where he discussed Wednesday's deadly bombings in three hotels in the Jordanian capital, which al Qaeda in Iraq said was carried out by four Iraqis. "This region and particularly Iraq has suffered too much from terrorist attacks," Annan said. "Even those of us at a distance feel the pain that has been inflicted on the families." Annan said he was encouraged by an Arab League initiative to call an Iraqi national reconciliation conference. "The political transition must be a process that is inclusive and transparent and takes into account the concerns of all groups," Annan said after meeting Iraqi ministers.
