Al-Maliki also urged his national unity government of Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds to end their public disputes and curb sectarian violence.

"The crisis is political, and it is the politicians who must try to prevent more violence and bloodletting. The terrorist acts are a reflection of the lack of political accord," al-Maliki said.

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He is facing strong criticism from top Shiite and Sunni Arab leaders alike as he prepares for a summit in neighboring Jordan with President Bush on Wednesday and Thursday.

Al-Maliki visited Sadr City on Sunday afternoon and paid condolences to some of the relatives of those killed Thursday in the bombings, but as he drove away at the end of his visit, several teenagers hurled stones at his motorcade, residents said.

The challenges that Bush faces across the region were evident to Jordan's King Abdullah, who said the problems in the Middle East go beyond the war in Iraq and that much of the region soon could become engulfed in violence unless the central issues are addressed quickly.

"We could possibly imagine going into 2007 and having three civil wars on our hands," he said, citing conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon and the decades-long strife between the Palestinians and Israelis.

"Therefore, it is time that we really take a strong step forward as part of the international community and make sure we avert the Middle East from a tremendous crisis that I fear, and I see could possibly happen in 2007," he told ABC's "This Week."

Elsewhere, two US Marines were killed Saturday in Anbar province, the area of western Iraq where many Sunni-insurgent groups are based, raising to at least 2,875 the number of US servicemen who have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003. So far, 56 American service members have died in November.

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