UN chief appeals for calm, restraint in Iraq

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 24 (Reuters) UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for calm and restraint in Iraq today after hundreds were killed and injured in a spiraling wave of gunfights, bombings and the torching of mosques and homes.

Annan ''condemns these heinous acts in the strongest possible terms,'' UN spokesman Yves Sorokobi said. ''They cannot be justified by any cause and are clearly aimed at fomenting sectarian strife and further undermining the stability and national unity of Iraq.'' ''The secretary-general urges the Iraqi people to heed the calls by political and religious leaders from all sides for calm and restraint to prevent an escalation of the situation,'' he said.

Gunmen killed dozens of people and burned mosques in a Sunni Arab enclave in Baghdad today and clashes broke out in a Shi'ite district where car bombs killed 202 in the bloodiest bombing of the war yesterday.

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