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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">April 7, 2006 <i>(3:05 p.m. EDT)</i><br>
No. 34</span></span></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">MINISTER MACKAY CONDEMNS BOMBINGS OF MOSQUE IN IRAQ</span></span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay today made the following statement on the series
of explosions targeting Shiites at the Baratha mosque in northern Baghdad, in which a
large number of people were killed and injured just after prayer time on Friday:</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">“The Government of Canada strongly condemns this attack on innocent civilians. We
call for those responsible to be brought to justice, and we offer our deepest
condolences to the families of the victims. This is yet another attempt to derail Iraq from
achieving stability and democracy by inflaming sectarian tensions through terrorist
means. We hope that the repeated calls by Iraqi clerics and political leaders to refrain
from retaliating will be observed.</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">“Canada urges Iraq’s political leaders to speed the formation of a government of
national unity that will emphasize restoring security and protecting citizens from criminal
and terrorist groups. We also urge political leaders to devote their efforts to building
representative and transparent national institutions, including the army and the police
force. Canada will continue to support the establishment of a stable and democratic
Iraq and to mobilize the international community to join the reconstruction effort.”</span></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">- 30 -</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">For further information, media representatives may contact:</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Media Relations Office<br>
Foreign Affairs Canada<br>
(613) 995-1874<br>
</span></span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221013845/http://www.international.gc.ca/"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.international.gc.ca</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000"></span></span></span></p>
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