MOSCOW, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Blame for the killing of four Russian diplomats in Iraq lies with the occupying nations because they are losing control of the situation in the Middle East country, Russia's upper house said on Wednesday.

    "All responsibility for the situation in Iraq, including the security of its citizens and foreign specialists, continues to rest with the occupying countries. We believe they could have prevented the tragedy," The State Duma said in a statement.

    It said that the tragedy "became possible primarily because of the crisis swelling in that country while the occupying powers are losing control of the situation and terror and violence have become a routine reality in postwar Iraq."

    The Duma demanded that "the Iraqi authorities and the occupying countries should conduct a thorough and profound investigation of the murder of the Russian citizens in Iraq" and insisted that all necessary measures should be taken to arrest and punish the criminals.

    The Foreign Ministry confirmed the killings of the four diplomats, kidnapped on June 3 in Baghdad, on Monday, a day after an al-Qaida-related organization claimed in an Internet statement that it had killed the diplomats.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered Russian secret services to "take all necessary steps to find and destroy" the perpetrators.

    The Duma statement, however, said Russia would not be dragged into the Iraq conflict following the killings. Enditem