Iraq's Sunni Arab vice president called on insurgents Saturday to join the Shiite prime minister's national reconciliation effort before it was too late, while a Shiite festival that drew millions of pilgrims ended without major incident, according to The Associated Press. In a relatively quiet day, a spate of other attacks around Iraq killed at least 12 people _ including two gunmen and two would-be bombers. Seven bodies, all showing signs of torture, were also found _ six dumped on the streets of a city and one fished out of a river. During a meeting with community leaders from Baghdad's predominantly Sunni Arab Azamiyah district, Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi said it was not too late yet to avoid spiraling sectarian conflict «as the rules of the game have been changed and problems can't be solved only by weapons.» «This is a call for the Iraqi resistance to think ... and sit around the negotiating table before it's too late,» al-Hashimi told about 100 people at the Islamic University in Azamiyah. «Differences will devastate Iraq and this division is not to our benefit.»
