There has been widespread condemnation of this morning's killing in Baghdad of the head of the US-appointed governing council, Ezzedine Salim, in an apparent suicide bomb attack.
At least eight other people were also killed.
The American military has said that the car bombing bore the 'classic hallmarks' of a Jordanian extremist who is linked to Al-Qaeda.
A group calling itself the Arab Resistance Movement claimed responsibility for today's attack.
Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said this may be a cover name for Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, an Al-Qaeda associate, who he linked to the blast
The top US administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, described the attack as ‘vile’.
The explosion happened as Mr Salim's convoy was waiting to enter the main compound of the occupying forces in Baghdad.
Mr Bremer said his death would not be in vain and he promised to track down those behind the blast.
Mr Salim is the second member of the Iraq Governing Council to be killed since it was set up last July.
Iraq's interim Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the killing would not derail the peace process.
In a separate development, an Italian soldier who was wounded in a mortar attack yesterday has died.
Five other Italian troops were reported to have been injured in the fighting, which also left at least nine Iraqis dead and 14 injured.
