Brussels, 19/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - After a further series of bloody attacks which have claimed the lives of more than 150 people in Baghdad and elsewhere, the EU published a statement on Wednesday once again condemning these “senseless murders” of innocent civilians “in the strongest possible terms”. “Iraq's future cannot be built on these senseless murders. Only dialogue and understanding, not violence, can improve the situation and make possible a peaceful future for everyone in Iraq. The presidency again calls upon all groups and parties in Iraq to express their commitment to the country's peaceful and free development,” the statement from the German presidency said. The European Union also restated its willingness to help Iraq become a pluralist democracy, but, “effective assistance is contingent upon a secure environment and the renunciation of violence by all groups and parties,” it said. (hb)