Iraq: Interim Prime Minister Mr Iyad Allawi urged the people of Iraq to band together to rebuild the country - a day after millions of voters defied insurgents to cast ballot in national elections.
"Starting from today, I will begin a new national dialogue to ensure all Iraqis have a voice in the new government," Mr Allawi told reporters, speaking from inside the US-controlled Green Zone.
"The whole world is watching us. As we worked together yesterday to finish dictatorship, let us work together towards a bright future - Sunnis and Shias, Muslims and Christians, Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen."
The call for unity comes as Iraqi officials try to maintain the momentum created by Sunday's poll in which an estimated eight million Iraqis turned out to vote, despite an insurgent campaign of attacks and intimidation.
But although crowds of jubilant Iraqis queued up to cast their ballots in many places, turnout was low in some Sunni Arab heartlands where the insurgency is most active, underscoring the communal tensions facing politicians in the new 275-member national assembly.
Last night, al-Qaeda's group in Iraq vowed to continue its "holy war", slamming the elections as an "American game", according to an Internet statement. "We in the al-Qaeda Organisation for Holy War in Iraq will continue the jihad [ holy war] until the banner of Islam flutters over Iraq," said the statement posted on an Islamist Web site which said democracy was "un-Islamic".
"This is just an American game they think will protect them... We are enemies of democracy and all those who call for it, and we will only accept the rule of God and His Prophet, not of Bush or Allawi," the statement said.
Mr Allawi, who many tip to be renamed prime minister, indicated that a new government would work to ensure disaffected Sunnis are included in the process to draw up the constitution, one of the tasks of the new assembly, before another round of election in December.
"We are anxious to hear who the people chose," he said. "I will start a national patriotic dialogue from now until the new government is named to ensure that every Iraqi has a voice."
Shias, who make up 60 per cent of Iraq's population, are widely expected to have won most votes in the election, although preliminary results are not expected to be announced for several days as ballot papers are gathered from around the country. Yesterday the top Shia coalition claimed victory in the poll, but promised to create an inclusive government.
"From the information we gathered at polling station across Iraq, we expect to win 55 per cent of the vote in Arab areas of the country. If we take Kurdistan into consideration we'll get 45 per cent," said Muntesar al-Imarah, campaign manager for the United Iraqi Alliance, which contains candidates from Iraq's largest Shi'ite parties.
Mr Imarah said discussions had begun between leading party leaders over who would form the next government, with a number of Shia candidates in the running to be appointed prime minister, including Mr Allawi, and the head of the Alliance list Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, who is also tipped as a possible prime minister.