"The government of Pakistan expresses shock and dismay at the reported burning of the library of Korans in Baghdad," a foreign ministry statement said.

The library, built in 1961 and home to Iraq's national archives, was torched over the weekend.

An AFP reporter who visited the site on Sunday said the Iraq National Library, which houses a number of rare volumes, was in flames after being ransacked.

Earlier, the National Museum of Iraq, which housed a major collection of antiquities from the cradle of civilization, was partially looted on Friday amid a breakdown in order following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime.

The Pakistani foreign ministry regretted that "despite warnings, looting was not curbed in time."

It said Pakistan was also "deeply concerned" at the looting of the national museum which housed numerous invaluable artifacts and items of archaeological importance.

"The Mesopotamian civilisation, which interacted with our Indus valley civilisation is among the cradles of human society," the statement said.

"International law and accepted standards demand protection be given to such treasures that are a common heritage of mankind," it said.

The statement endorsed UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's call "to prevent further losses by protecting Iraq's archaeological and religious sites, museums and other cultural institutions."

"The government of Pakistan reiterates its concern for the sanctity and protection of all the holy sites and shrines in Iraq, in particular those in Najaf, Kerbala and Baghdad, and for the early establishment of public order," the statement said.

SPACE.WIRE