Talabani visits Karbala

KARBALA, Iraq, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Kurdish leader and the president of Iraq's Governing Council Jalal Talabani Thursday vowed to pay special attention to Iraq's southern provinces.

Talbani, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, visited the holy city of Karbala in southern Iraq amid tight security as local residents aired worries over the worsening security conditions in the country.

Talbani, the first Kurdish figure to preside over Iraq, said he was happy with his welcome. He visited top leaders, including Ayatollah Taki al-Madrassi.

Soon after the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime, Karbala recovered its religious significance as a major Shiite town.