UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday voiced his "shock and dismay" at the assassination of a Sunni member of the commission writing Iraq's new constitution, stressing the need for all segments of Iraqi society to be represented in the process.

"The secretary-general strongly condemns this criminal act and hopes that it will not deter the Constitutional Commission from completing its important task on time," Annan said in a statement issued by his spokesperson.

Mijbil Sheikh al-Issa, a Sunni member of Iraq's Constitution Drafting Committee, was gunned down Tuesday in Baghdad, together with an adviser to the body, Dahmen al-Jabour.

"The secretary-general notes that Mr. Issa was one of the 15 Sunni representatives who had recently joined the Commission with the purpose of drafting a new constitution through an inclusive process that is responsive to the needs of all Iraqi constituencies," the statement added.

Barely a month ago, Annan welcomed the Iraqi agreement to expand the Constitution Drafting Committee by adding Sunni Arabs,

a long-term UN goal since the Jan. 30 elections for the Transitional National Assembly when Sunni Arabs largely stayed away, hurting efforts to attain the inclusion of all segments of society.

Sunni Arabs, the dominant political force in Saddam Hussein's ousted regime, represent about 20 percent of the population.

Shiite Arabs, about 60 percent of the electorate, voted enthusiastically and dominate the assembly together with the mainly Sunni Kurds, who also turned out en masse and represent about 20 percent.

Annan's special representative for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, also condemned Tuesday's assassinations as well as the recent wave of killings and suicide attacks across the country.

"These are unacceptable acts of violence under any circumstances. These heinous acts are against the principles of Islam and the human values of all religions and beliefs, and must be condemned," Qazi said in a statement.

Source: Xinhua