The bomber exploded a device in a cafeteria where members of the 275-member Council of Representatives were eating lunch, state television said. One of the lawmakers killed was Mohammed Awad of the Sunni Muslim National Dialogue Front, Al Jazeera said. In addition to the eight deaths, 23 people were hurt, U.S. Major General William Caldwell said in a statement without giving details. The statement was read over the phone by a spokeswoman.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called today's attack a "criminal and cowardly act," in a statement read on state television. "This savage act will not weaken the will of the representatives of the Iraqi people," al-Maliki said.

The Green Zone is protected by U.S. forces and private contractors. The area is surrounded by high concrete blast walls and all entry points are staffed by security guards. The zone frequently comes under attack from rocket and mortar fire.

"I strongly condemn this action," President George W. Bush told reporters at the White House. The extremists attacked "a symbol of democracy" in Iraq and are the same type of terrorists who "kill innocent Americans." Bush said the U.S. is working with the Iraq government to "take steps necessary to boost security."

Scanner Broken

A scanner used to check pedestrians at the Green Zone entrance near the Parliament wasn't working today, and people were searched by hand or went through metal detectors, AP said, citing Parliament spokesman Mohammed Abu Bakr. Dogs were used to check people entering the building earlier in the day, a measure seldom used there, AP said.

U.S. and Iraqi forces began a security crackdown in Baghdad and neighboring al-Anbar province in February.

"We've known there's a security problem in Baghdad, which is why the president has structured a new strategy," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters in Washington. "I don't think anybody expected there would not be counter- efforts."

The Parliament, which closes on Fridays for the Muslim day of prayer, will hold a special session tomorrow in a show of defiance against terrorism, speaker Mahmoud Mashadani told state television.

"There will be every effort made to identify this as a one- off and not part of a pattern or a syndrome," Rosemary Hollis, director of research at London-based Chatham House told Sky News. Chatham House advises the European Union on foreign policy.

"The level of security for foreign nationals has allowed them to do something resembling a day's work," Hollis said. If this does indicate greater vulnerability in the Green Zone, it will seem "the whole operation has already failed," she said.

Al-Maliki Away

Al-Maliki, whose office is in the Green Zone, is on a visit to South Korea today. The area is also the location of the U.S. and other embassies. Preliminary reports indicated there were no U.S. casualties, Lou Fintor, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy, said in an e-mailed statement.

Two suicide bombers detonated devices inside the Green Zone in October 2004, killing five people and injuring about 20 at an outdoor market and cafe. Three U.S. civilians were among those killed.

Earlier today, a suicide truck bombing partially collapsed a metal bridge in northern Baghdad, killing at least eight people and sending cars sliding into the Tigris River, Iraqi security forces spokesman Brigadier Qasim Ata told state television.