The former President of Ireland Mrs Mary Robinson said she was "very shocked and devastated" by yesterday's suicide attack in Baghdad.
Mrs Robinson's successor at the UN, Mr Sergio Vieira de Mello, was killed in the attack.
She said the attack showed the need for a wider mandate for the UN.
She said: "It is a huge blow but curiously I think it may bring home the need for a broader and more rounded UN mandate on the ground and more countries involved.
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Former UN High Commissioner for
Refugees Mrs Mary Robinson |
"It is extraordinarily important that Iraq does not descend into a situationof complete lack of security and a worse situation for the civilian populationof Iraq.
"This may be a sort of wake-up call for the world that the situation wasn'treally very tenable before this terrible outrage.
"It is an appalling blow and the world must rally not just the coalition, theoccupation forces that are in Iraq at the moment, the United States, Britain andothers.
"But also France, Germany, India, Brazil, South Africa, all the countries ofthe world must now respond, I think appropriately.
"There has to be real desire to change the terms on the ground in Iraq and Ithink that can only be done by strong leadership, UN mandate and presence on theground.
"There should be a leadership role for the United Nations on behalf of theworld."
PA