London, Aug 20: British Prime Minister Tony Blair said he was "shocked and saddened" at an attack on UN headquarters in Baghdad yesterday that killed the top UN envoy to Iraq and at least 16 others, adding that the bombing underlined the importance of the coalition's presence in the country. "The perpetrators of the atrocity have demonstrated pure cowardice and are enemies not only of the UN and coalition but also of the Iraqi people," Blair said in a statement released by Downing Street.
The Prime Minister, who is on holiday in Barbados, was informed of UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello's death, and spoke by telephone with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to express his condolences.
"We will not allow terrorists to weaken our resolve in bringing about a better Iraq," Blair said.
"Their evil only serves to reiterate the importance of our presence in the country and the action we have taken to remove the regime of Saddam Hussein."
Blair added: "Mr Vieira de Mello was doing a tremendous job working to bring peace and stability to those people. His death is a great loss."
Britain has 11,000 troops in Iraq, less than 100 of whom are in Baghdad, the Defence Ministry said. Bureau Report