The President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Mr. Pier Ferdinando Casini, today condemned the bomb attack in the cafeteria of the Iraqi Parliament which caused the loss of several lives, including those of two members of parliament. The President emphasized that the attack was particularly heinous since it struck at the central institution of Iraq's new democracy. He added that the voice of the elected representatives of the Iraqi people would not be silenced by such mindless acts.

President Casini has conveyed the solidarity and heartfelt sympathy of the IPU to the Parliament, together with his deepest condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives in these tragic circumstances.

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the IPU, the oldest multilateral political organisation, currently brings together 148 affiliated parliaments and seven regional assemblies as associate members. The world organisation of parliaments has an Office in New York, which acts as its Permanent Observer at the United Nations.
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Contact for additional information or interviews:

Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer 5, ch. du Pommier, CH - 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex / Geneva Phone: +41 22 919 41 16 Fax: +41 22 919 41 60 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org