Washington – President Bush thanked Iraqi political and religious leaders for urging calm after the February 22 bombing that destroyed the dome of a historic Shia shrine in the city of Samarra.

“I appreciate very much the leaders from all aspects of Iraqi society that have stood up and urged for there to be calm,” Bush told reporters following a February 23 Cabinet meeting in Washington.

He also repeated his assurance that the United States is committed to helping rebuild the holy site.  “We understand its importance to Iraqi society and we want to stand side by side with the government in making sure that beautiful dome is restored,” he said.

The February 22 bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, Iraq, one of the holiest places for Shi’a Muslims, was condemned immediately by the U.S. government as a blatant attempt to foment sectarian strife. (See related article.)

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who currently is traveling in the Middle East, rejected the suggestion that the bombing reflects growing civil unrest in Iraq.

“I don't think we do the Iraqi people any good, or really that we are fair to them, in continually raising the specter that they might fall into civil war, when it seems that the only people who want a civil war in Iraq are the terrorists like Zarqawi,” she said.  “Iraqis want to be a stable and unified country and I think the statements of all responsible Iraqi leaders over these last 24 hours demonstrate that.”

She said the Iraqis are working hard to bridge sectarian differences through a political process.  President Bush noted that 11 million Iraqis turned out to vote in the last elections, demonstrating to their leaders and the world that they embrace that democratic process.

State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters at a State Department briefing that the bombing of the mosque serves as “a reminder that there are those out there that are trying to derail the political process and sow sectarian strife in order to plunge Iraq into chaos and frustrate the democratic development of that country.”

He said that, despite this, the Iraqi leadership has shown no sign of abandoning the political process.

Ereli praised the “remarkable restraint” of the Iraqi people given the magnitude of the provocation.  He said that even though there has been violence, the unrest has not been as widespread as many feared.  He attributed this to the statements from the leadership and a “vigorous response” from the Iraqi security forces.  Ereli added that the coalition has been working hard “to develop Iraqi security forces so that they can be capable of dealing with situations like this that we know are going to happen.”