The White House on Thursday paid tribute to United Nations envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello who was killed in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad one year ago.

"Last year on this day, terrorists in Iraq turned their violence against the UN headquarters in Baghdad, killing many innocent Iraqi citizens and UN personnel, including the secretary general's special representative Sergio Vieira de Mello," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said in a statement.

"We deeply regret the loss of these committed and selfless individuals, who sacrificed their lives in order to help the Iraqipeople move down the path towards a democratic country governed bythe rule of law," McClellan said.

McClellan added that with the UN assistance, over 1,000 delegates from all over Iraq gathered in Baghdad for a four-day National Conference, which started on Sunday, to select a multi-ethnic, multi-religious National Council.

"The selection of the council is a sign that the Iraqi people will not allow terrorist elements to stand in the way of their democratic future," McClellan said.

A total of 22 people, including Vieira de Mello, were killed inthe bombing attack on Aug. 19 last year in Iraq.

At a Geneva ceremony marking the first anniversary of the bombing on Thursday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said it was areally "unique blow" for the United Nations and it had forced the world body to wrestle with fundamental questions regarding security.

Source: Xinhua