Baghdad, March 4, SPA -- At least nine people were killed on Saturday in two separate attacks in an area southeast of Baghdad torn by sectarian violence, police said. A mortar round landed in a crowded market near a bus station and killed seven people and wounded 20 in the town of Gisr Diyala near Salman Pak, while a car bomb near a police checkpoint in Salman Pak killed two civilians and wounded three police officers. The attacks took place as Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said he would issue a presidential decree to convene parliament while a daytime curfew was lifted which prevented vehicle traffic on Friday. Talabani's security adviser, Wafiq al-Samarraie, said the president was calling for all militia to lay down their weapons and join the political process, according to a report of Reuters. --SPA 13 27 Local Time 10 27 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/336499