Iraqi President Courts Shia Group

At a meeting with the representatives of the Sadrist movement [followers of radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr], President Jalal Talabani has said the new Iraq needs the support of all groups in the country. He asked all Iraqis to support the security measures imposed in Baghdad, and said the new plan for national reconciliation would help restore stability. He also pledged to serve all Iraqis regardless of ethnic or religious background. The Sadrist delegation asked Talabani to secure the release of some individuals detained by United States forces, and he promised to do his best to achieve this. Rule of law must prevail and no one should be held without an arrest warrant, he said.