"The Secretary-General continues to be dismayed by the unrelenting wave of suicide bombings in Iraq that have killed large numbers of civilians, including at least 80 people in Musayyib on Saturday," a statement issued by his spokesman said.

"The Secretary-General emphatically condemns these heinous attacks, perpetrated in an apparent effort to undermine Iraq's political transition, and extends his deepest sympathies to the families of the victims," it added.

"The Secretary-General urges all Iraqis to set violence aside and to join together, through peaceful means, in building a united, democratic and prosperous Iraq."