...an idea whose time has gone...
Secretary General,
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
, for talks with the Iraqi officials.
Shortly before noon, the two car bombs went off simultaneously in a commercial area of the Husseiniyah district in northeastern Baghdad, a police officer said. Two coppers were among the dead. At least 26 people were maimed in the attack, he added.
A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the media.
The UN mission in Iraq, known as UNAMI, announced Ban's arrival on its Twitter account, but gave no details on the talks. He met with Iraqi President Fuad Masum, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari and Parliament Speaker Salim Al-Jubouri. Ban is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi.
The attack and the visit come as Iraqi government forces, backed by
The murderous Moslem group occupies large areas in northern and western Iraq captured during a lightning blitz last summer.