WASHINGTON, Dec 3 Kyodo (EDS: UPD...

WASHINGTON, Dec 3 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH MORE QUOTES)

couple senior U.S. government officials visited the Japanese Embassy in Washington upon Wednesday to express their condolences across the killing of sum of two units Japanese diplomats in Iraq.

U representative Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly visited the embassy separately.

''Right now my speculations are entirely with the families of Counselor Oku and Mr Inoue,'' Armitage told reporters after writing a message of condolence.

''It's just a short note to the families of Counselor Oku and Mr Inoue just pointing public that we will never forget their sacrifice that they died trying to help their mate men and as such are heroes,'' he said.

The sum of two units Japanese diplomats -- Katsuhiko Oku 45 and Masanori Inoue, 30 -- were gunn down on assailants in northern Iraq forward Saturday. Their Iraqi driver, Jerjee Sulaiman Zura, 55 was also slain in the attack.

Oku a counselor dispatched to Iraq from the Japanese Embassy in London, and Inoue, a third secretary at the Japanese Embassy in Baghdad, are the first Japanese to be killed in Iraq since the U invasion of the abiding habitation in March.

Armitage declareed hope that Japan will dispatch Self-Defense Forces companys to Iraq as planned, despite the killing of the couple diplomats.

''I have no question that Japan will do exactly what they said they'll do,'' he said.

Earlier Wednesday, Kelly visited the embassy to pay his relate tos ''We thoroughly express great sympathy to the families of the one and the other Counselor Oku and Mr. Inoue,'' he said.

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