Annan visits Iraq

Annan came from Amman where he discussed Wednesday's deadly bombings in three hotels in the Jordanian capital, which al-Qaeda in Iraq said was carried out by four Iraqis, including a married couple.

His visit, which was not previously announced due to security concerns, follows separate trips by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the past few days.

Rice said she wanted to help ease sectarian tensions that have dominated the campaign for a parliamentary election on December 15. US commanders have warned that insurgents may intensify their violent campaign to disrupt the vote.

As Annan arrived in the heavily fortified international "green zone" where most government business is conducted, a car bomb exploded in a market in east Baghdad, starting fires in several shops and killing at least five people, police said.

"A car parked near a pharmacy suddenly blew up and we saw smoke and people started running," witness Ali Saleh said. "Women were searching for their children. The shrapnel flew everywhere, the force of the blast was so strong."

Another witness said many shops in the market were set on fire, with people trapped inside. Police said there were at least five dead and a dozen wounded.