Top Iraqi Sunnis and Shiites meet in Najaf (AFP)

Iraq's Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi (L) and senior Islamic Party member Iyad al-Samarai address a press conference in Baghdad. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani -- the spiritual head of Iraq's Shiites -- has met Hashemi for the first time amid reconciliation efforts by religious and political leaders.(AFP/Ahmad Al-Rubaye)AFP – The spiritual head of Iraq's Shiites met the country's Sunni vice president on Thursday for the first time, an AFP correspondent reported.