WASHINGTON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush called on the Iraqis on Wednesday to come together and form a government of national unity.

    "It's time for a government to get stood up. There's time for the elected representatives -- or those who represent the voters, the political parties -- to come together and form a unity government," Bush said in a speech delivered at Capitol Music Hall,Wheeling, West Virginia.

    Bush said that he had discussed the issue with U.S. ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad and General George Casey, the commander of U.S. military forces in Iraq.

    "We talked about the need to make it clear to the Iraqis it's time to get a government in place that can start leading this nation and listening to the will of the people," Bush said.

    The Iraqis have been struggling to form a national unity government more than three months after they held national parliamentary elections in December.

    Bush has been undergoing a series of speeches focusing on the U.S. efforts in Iraq to allay public worries that Iraq may fall intoa civil war. Enditem