Suicide bomb attack on UN Baghdad office kills guard

AT LEAST two people were killed and 20 others were injured when a car bomb exploded as the vehicle was being examined at a checkpoint at the UN compound in Baghdad.

The blast occurred at the entrance to a parking lot next to the UN compound, scene of a devastating car bombing last month that killed about 20 people, including the UN’s top envoy.

The powerful blast was heard throughout the city and hurled the hood of the car some 200 yards. The arm of one victim lay more than 100 yards away.

A UN official said the bomber wore an explosives belt and also had a 50-pound bomb in the car.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned that if the situation continued to deteriorate, UN operations in Iraq would be handicapped considerably.

“I am shocked and distressed by this latest attack on our premises in Baghdad,” Mr Annan said at the United Nations.

“We are assessing the situation to determine what happened, who did it, and taking further measures to protect our installations,” he said.

The bombing occurred when a gray 1995 Opel with Baghdad license plates approached the parking lot, said Sergeant. Hassan al-Saadi, who was among the first on the scene.

“A guard went to search the car, opened the trunk and the car exploded, killing him and the driver. When I arrived, there was fire and smoke, even the guard’s body was ablaze,” he said.

Captain Sean Kirley of the US 2nd Armoured Cavalry Regiment said the Iraqi police had a warning of the attack shortly before it happened. He would not elaborate.

Authorities identified the slain policeman as 23-year-old Salam Mohammed. Nineteen people were injured and six people were unaccounted for, said another UN official.

The continuing ongoing violence has raised questions about US stewardship of the country and has led to calls for an expanded role in Iraq for the UN.

President George W Bush said he was not sure the US would have to yield a significantly larger role to the UN to make way for a new resolution on Iraq.

He continued to insist on an orderly transfer of authority to the Iraqis rather than the quick action demanded by France.

In an interview with Fox News, President Bush said he would declare in his UN speech today that he “made the right decision and the others that joined us made the right decision” to invade Iraq.

But the president said he would ask other nations to do more to help stabilise Iraq.

Asked if he was willing for the UN to play a larger role, he esponded, “I'm not so sure we have to, for starters.”

But he said he did think it would be helpful to get UN help in writing a constitution for Iraq.

“I mean, they're good at that,” he said. “Or, perhaps when an election starts, they’ll oversee the election. That would be deemed a larger role.”

France said it does not intend to veto US proposals on Iraq but would only vote in favour of it if it included a deadline and timetable for a transfer of sovereignty in Iraq as well as a “key role” for the United Nations in the oil-rich country.