Sunni Representives withdraw from government talks

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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's most powerful Sunni Muslim party quit talks to form a new government Thursday after reprisal attacks for the bombing of an important Shiite mosque.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani called on his countrymen to extinguish the "flames of division" and President Bush denounced Wednesday's mosque attack as "an evil act." A U.S. military spokesman said the bombing clearly bears "the signature" of al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Amid reports of more than 100 killings since the attack -- with many Sunnis among the dead -- the Sunni Accord Front announced it is leaving political unity talks after meeting with Talabani and Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari.

The Accord Front received 44 seats in December's election for the 275-member Iraqi parliament and has been working with Kurds, Shiites and other Sunnis to cobble together a government.


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