WASHINGTON, United States: The United States condemned the bombing of the holy shrine on Wednesday White House spokesman Tony Snow cited comments by prominent Iraqi leaders urging Sunnis and Shiites to remain calm.

"You have seen Sunni, Shia and other leaders throughout the country calling for folks not to engage in sectarian violence," Snow said.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack called the bombing a ``cruel, cynical act.''

The European Union's German presidency strongly condemned Wednesday the bombing attack that wrecked two minarets of the sacred shrine. The statement in Berlin said, the presidency "appeals to the Iraqi government and people to do everything they can to put a stop to the violence and enable the various religious groups to co-exist peacefully.

"The perpetrators must be found and brought to justice in a trial conducted in accordance with the rule of law."