UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was forced to duck behind the podium today after a rocket landed near Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's office today.
Un Secretary general Ban Ki-moon
Mr Ban was unhurt, and two Iraqi security guards in the grounds outside the building were slightly wounded.
A witness saw a crater one-yard in diameter about 50 yards from the building where the news conference was in progress. Two cars were damaged.
Small chips of debris floated down from the ceiling above the UN chief after the explosion rattled the building in the Green Zone.
Mr Ban looked frightened, but Mr Maliki said "nothing's wrong" as one of his security men started to grab the prime minister. The two men quickly resumed answering questions.
The rocket landed as one of Mr Ban's questions was being translated. Mr Maliki had just finished telling reporters that Mr Ban's visit was a sign that Iraq was on the road to stability.
"We consider it [the visit] a positive message to world in which you [Mr Ban] confirm that Baghdad has returned to playing host to important world figures because it has made huge strides on the road toward stability," Mr Maliki said in his opening remarks.
Mr Ban and Mr Maliki were speaking to reporters after meeting for about one hour in the heavily fortified Green Zone. Mr Ban was to leave Baghdad later today after the first visit by the top UN official in nearly 18 months.
AP