Iraqi lawmaker tells parliament 2-month captivity showed her what country is going through

(AP) A Sunni Arab lawmaker held hostage for two months by Shiite militants told parliament Tuesday that the ordeal showed her the agony Iraqis are experiencing at a time of rising sectarian tensions.

Tayseer al-Mashhadani, an engineer, urged Iraqis of all faiths to set aside their differences for the sake of the country.

She said captivity gave her a personal taste of what the whole of Iraq is going through because of the violence and "desecration of all the meanings of humanity."

"Brothers and sisters, despite all the setbacks and wounds I suffered, I felt a deeper wound and a bigger pain _ that of Iraq and my people who voted for me," she said.

Al-Mashhadani was kidnapped along with a handful of her bodyguards July 1 by gunmen in a Shiite area north of Baghdad as they were traveling from Diyala province for a parliament session. No group has claimed responsibility publicly for the kidnapping, but officials said a group alleging to hold her demanded the release of Shiite detainees. She was freed Aug. 26.

Parliament opened its first session after the summer recess with al-Mashhadani's speech.

A composed al-Mashhadani, clad in a white headscarf, expressed joy at returning to parliament "after a long absence, bleak days and prolonged moments of pain because of separation from my children, husband and family."

"God knows how tough that was for me, and that bitterness eats the heart from the horrors I suffered," said al-Mashhadani, who has two sons, ages 2 and 3.

She told lawmakers Iraq is embarking on a new phase "in which our people are looking for what we can provide them to alleviate the tremendous pressure they're suffering from."

"Based on this responsibility, we have to throw out the past _ with all its difficulties and bitterness _ behind our backs, and take serious steps toward the national reconciliation project" of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, she said.

"We, as political leaders and parliament blocs, have to first unite to come out as tolerant and loving so that this project succeeds and becomes the savior ship that will take us to the safe shore."

Al-Maliki is said to have been personally involved in negotiations for al-Mashhadani's release, which he described as a "gift" to his national reconciliation plan.