Attacks in Baghdad kill 60

By Alastair Macdonald and Lutfi Abu Oun

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Attacks in Baghdad, including a car
bomb close to a Shi’ite mosque, killed at least 60 people on
Tuesday and U.S. President George W. Bush told Iraqis who fear
civil war that they faced a choice between “chaos or unity.”

As deposed leader Saddam Hussein returned to court after
the worst week of sectarian violence since the U.S. invasion,
three bombs in succession killed 32 people. After dark, a car
bomb killed at least 23 near the Shi’ite mosque and a market.

“The choice is chaos or unity,” said Bush as the ruling
Shi’ites warned sectarian bloodshed that has killed hundreds
since a bomb destroyed a major Shi’ite shrine last Wednesday
could mean months of delay in bringing Sunnis into the national
unity government Washington is pushing hard for them to form.

Fears of an all-out war have seen people barricading
neighborhoods or fleeing homes.

Saddam, looking subdued after ending a hunger strike, was
brought into court to hear prosecutors present evidence that
included what they said was a death warrant for 148 Shi’ite men
signed by him in 1984. He has justified harsh measures during
his years in power by the need to stop Iraq breaking apart.

The prime minister’s office, in an unusual move, issued a
statement putting the total death toll over six days at 379
“martyrs” and denied reports that it was well over 1,000.

But Baghdad morgue alone said it received 309 bodies since
Wednesday, most victims of violence. Morgue data showed this
was double the average — it handled 10,080 bodies in 2005.

BUSH CALL

U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, closely engaged in efforts to
forge a unity government Washington hopes would bring stability
to let it start bringing home troops, said Iraq “came to the
brink of civil war.” He warned further flare-ups were possible.

Bush recalled his telephone calls to Iraqi leaders on
Saturday that led to an emergency meeting of all parties: “They
understood the seriousness of the moment,” he said. “They have
made their choice, which is to work toward a unity government.”

The Sunni minority’s main political bloc, however, says it
was not ready to end the boycott of U.S.-backed talks which it
announced in protest against reprisals against Sunni mosques.

Admitting bloodshed had stalled efforts to forge a unity
government 11 weeks after Sunnis took part in their first
U.S.-sponsored election, National Security Adviser Mowaffaq
al-Rubaie, a senior member of the ruling Shi’ite alliance,
said: “If we are lucky it will take us at least two months.”

Two British soldiers were killed in Shi’ite southern Iraq
and U.S. forces reported the death of an American soldier.

Activity on Baghdad’s streets was quieter than normal after
Monday’s lifting of a three-day curfew. Many people said they
were staying at home for fear of violence, though many also
said they were afraid of guerrillas attacking them at home.

Saddam-era, Soviet-made Iraqi tanks guarded some Sunni
mosques and Iraqi and U.S. military units were on patrol.

SADDAM TRIAL

Hours before Saddam’s trial resumed after a two-week
suspension, bombs wrecked the tomb of his father in Tikrit.

His two lead defense counsels walked out within minutes of
the trial restarting when requests for a further adjournment
and the removal of the chief judge were rejected.

Officials said court-appointed lawyers would defend Saddam,
as they had done since a previous walkout a month ago from a
trial they said has been rigged by the Shi’ite- and Kurdish-led
interim government and the United States.

Saddam spoke once, to question the authenticity of
documents presented by the prosecution, like the apparent order
for executions. The judge ruled some of the material
inadmissible, saying the provenance of some handwritten
documents was unclear. It was not clear which were ruled out.

The court will sit again on Wednesday. Court officials have
said previously they expect a long adjournment after that.

Saddam and seven others have been on trial since October 19
for crimes against humanity in the deaths of the 148 Shi’ites
after an assassination attempt on Saddam in the town of Dujail
in 1982. They face hanging if convicted.

(Additional reporting by Lutfi Abu Oun, Michael Georgy,
Mariam Karouny, Ibon Villelabeitia, and Nick Olivari in
Baghdad, Ghazwan al-Jibouri in Tikrit and Faris al-Mehdawi in
Baquba)