United Nations: Concern was much in evidence among top echelons of world body that the devastating blast at its Baghdad headquarters that killed at least 17 people, including a top envoy, might not be an isolated incident, but a deliberate decision by terrorists to target of the international staff.

The mood among the staff at the headquarters was of mourning as the dead had friends and colleagues in Baghdad and questions were being raised whether it is worthwhile risking lives in Iraq when adequate security is not available.

The UN flag was lowered to half-mast at its headquarters in New York in memory of top UN Ambassador to Iraq, Sergio Viera de Mello, who was among those killed in the blast in Baghdad on August 19.

Reflecting that mood, the Staff Council's security committee angrily demanded that Annan suspend all operations in Iraq till the security could be guaranteed and called for "full inquiry" as to why the adequate security was not in place.

Diplomats see a change of strategy of whosoever is organising the attacks to hit foreigners and infrastructure to create a sense of insecurity and to send the message that the United States is incapable of guaranteeing either safety or development of the country.

The idea behind targeting international staff could be, they say, to scare them away and disrupt the humanitarian assistance programme as also reconstruction process. That would hurt the Iraqi people and thus increase the already rising anti-American sentiments.

PTI