Note to Correspondents

THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF BAGHDAD BOMBING TO BE OBSERVED AT UN HEADQUARTERS, 18 AUGUST

The third anniversary of the Baghdad bombing of will be observed on Friday, 18 August, with a brief ceremony that will begin at 10:15 a.m. in the General Assembly public lobby, in front of the memorial plaque located outside the meditation room.

Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown will read out a brief statement on behalf of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.  Colleagues who were in Baghdad at the time of the attack will lay a wreath in front of the plaque, followed by a moment of silence.

On 19 August 2003, a truck bomb wrecked the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, killing 22, including mission chief Sergio Vieira de Mello, and injuring more than 150.

The commemoration is organized by the Staff CouncilStanding Committee on the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service.

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For information media • not an official record