Ambassador appeals over Baghdad stampede

The Iraqi Ambassador to the UK, Dr Salah Al-Shaikhly has a letter in the Times in which he says of the stampede in Baghdad that conflicting stories are attempting to point the finger of blame at sectarian agendas. This stokes the fire of terror and plays directly into the hands of al-Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates in Iraq. He concludes that Our communities have co- existed without recourse to the civil war or sectarian strife that was predicted by the scaremongers. Our two communities never had a reason to quarrel. We lived in peace for over one thousand years. Our leaders and our people have shown remarkable maturity and restraint and we denounce all attacks aimed at our unity.