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Sheikh of Al-Azhar urges Iraqis to vote

By: Sultan Ahmed

CAIRO, Egypt: Grand Sheik Mohammed Tantawi, head of Egypt's Al-Azhar University, has urged all Iraqis to vote in their national elections later this month.

The call came as Sunni leaders in the war-ravaged country said they wanted the polls to be boycotted.

“Iraq's Sunni and Shi'ite communities should take part in the January 30 elections,” Tantawi said in remarks carried by Egypt's Middle East News Agency.

Tantawi, who is appointed by the Egyptian government, said that if Iraqis did not elect a responsible government: “catastrophes will continue taking place in Iraq”.

His comments came during a meeting with former US Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and follow similar remarks made last week by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who warned the boycott of the polls by one Islamic sect would lead to an escalation of violence and terrorism.

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