OREANDA-NEWS. December 8, 2009. The message of condolences reads, in part: "I am outraged at these barbaric crimes which killed more than a hundred people and injured nearly five hundred, and damaged the buildings of a number of Iraqi ministries and departments.

Please convey my sincere condolences to the relatives of the victims and my sympathy and wishes for a swift recovery to the injured.

I am confident that these criminal actions cannot halt the political process, the democratic development of your country, or its full-scale revival."