BAGHDAD: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Iraqi leaders to address the “root causes” of a surge in bloodshed as security forces clashed on Monday with gunmen in violence-racked Anbar province.

But Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, standing next to Ban at a joint news conference, insisted that the Anbar unrest was not due to internal problems, and that dialogue with militants was not an option.

“I would urge the leaders of the country ... to address the root causes of the problems,” Ban said. “They should ensure that there is nobody left behind. There should be political cohesion” and “social cohesion, and political dialogue, inclusive dialogue.”

The UN special envoy to Iraq has warned of a dire humanitarian situation. Fighting erupted in the Ramadi area on Dec. 30, when security forces cleared a year-old Sunni Arab anti-government protest camp.