IRAQ BLASTS

THE two huge bomb explosions in the centre of Baghdad on Sunday brought to over one thousand the number of public officials who have been killed or maimed in the past three months. In August the foreign ministry and treasury buildings were reduced to ruin and on Sunday it was the turn of the justice ministry and the offices of the Baghdad government. All these building were located close to the Green Zone, claimed to be the safest part of the city with intensified security precautions. Yet the suicide bomber, driving a heavy truck somehow got through.

Beyond the human suffering these events must be seen in the context of Iraq's parliamentary elections due to be held on 16 January. They are the single most important future event in the slow reconstruction of Iraq's governance yet there must now be doubts about whether they can be held in such an insecure situation. it would be a serious blow to the prestige of prime minister al-Maliki if the elections had to be postponed but to take a risk with voters' safety throughout the country would be an even more serious matter. Yesterday Mr al-Maliki blamed Syria for assisting the bombers; others pointed to Iraq's Sunnis and still others to al-Qaeda. The only thing that is certain, is that Iraq's security services are still not capable of doing their all-important job.